Torina Alessandra, Alongi Angelina, Naranjo Victoria, Estrada-Peña Agustín, Vicente Joaquín, Scimeca Salvatore, Marino Anna M F, Salina Felice, Caracappa Santo, de la Fuente José
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Via G. Marinuzzi 3, 90129 Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Dec;74(24):7578-84. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01625-08. Epub 2008 Oct 31.
Anaplasma species are tick-transmitted pathogens that impact veterinary and human health. Sicily is one of the locations where these pathogens are endemic. Sicily represents a typical Mediterranean ecosystem to study Anaplasma infection and tick habitat suitability. The aims of this study were (i) to characterize by 16S rRNA and species-specific msp4 gene PCR the prevalence and genotypes of A. marginale, A. phagocytophilum, and A. ovis in the most abundant host species in Sicilian provinces and (ii) to correlate differences between hosts and between western and eastern Sicily with the habitat suitability for ticks in these regions. Differences were found in the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. between different hosts and between western and eastern provinces. The differences in Anaplasma prevalence between different hosts may be explained by pathogen host tropism. The differences between western and eastern provinces correlated with the tick habitat suitability in these regions. The analysis of Anaplasma genotypes suggested a higher host and regional specificity for A. phagocytophilum than for A. marginale and A. ovis strains, a finding probably associated with the broader host range of A. phagocytophilum. The presence of identical A. marginale genotypes in the two regions may reflect cattle movement. The results for A. ovis suggested the possibility of some genotypes being host specific. These results provide information potentially useful for the management of tick-borne diseases caused by Anaplasma spp. in Sicily and other Mediterranean regions and may contribute to the development of models to predict the risks for these tick-borne pathogens.
无形体属物种是通过蜱传播的病原体，会影响兽医和人类健康。西西里岛是这些病原体的地方性流行地区之一。西西里岛代表了一个研究无形体感染和蜱栖息地适宜性的典型地中海生态系统。本研究的目的是：（i）通过16S rRNA和物种特异性msp4基因PCR来鉴定西西里省最主要宿主物种中边缘无形体、嗜吞噬细胞无形体和绵羊无形体的流行率和基因型；（ii）将宿主之间以及西西里岛西部和东部之间的差异与这些地区蜱的栖息地适宜性相关联。在不同宿主之间以及西西里岛西部和东部省份之间，发现了无形体属物种流行率的差异。不同宿主之间无形体流行率的差异可能由病原体的宿主嗜性来解释。西西里岛西部和东部省份之间的差异与这些地区蜱的栖息地适宜性相关。对无形体基因型的分析表明，嗜吞噬细胞无形体比边缘无形体和绵羊无形体菌株具有更高的宿主和区域特异性，这一发现可能与嗜吞噬细胞无形体更广泛的宿主范围有关。两个地区存在相同的边缘无形体基因型可能反映了牛的移动情况。绵羊无形体的结果表明某些基因型可能具有宿主特异性。这些结果为西西里岛和其他地中海地区由无形体属物种引起的蜱传疾病的管理提供了潜在有用的信息，并可能有助于开发预测这些蜱传病原体风险的模型。
