Dipartimento di Scienze di Sanità Pubblica, CIRMS, Università di Roma Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Vet Parasitol. 2010 Jun 24;170(3-4):291-6. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.02.027. Epub 2010 Feb 26.
Ticks, collected in central and northern Italy from pets, livestock, wild animals and the environment (n=2107), were identified by microscopy and processed by molecular diagnostics to determine the species that act as a reservoir for piroplasms. A total of 11 ixodid tick species were identified, with five of them proving to be piroplasm positive. Molecular diagnostics identified Theileria equi and eight Babesia species in 52 adult specimens, mostly (n=50) removed from piroplasm-free vertebrate hosts. Ixodes ricinus hosted the highest number of species, although the highest infection rate was recorded in Hyalomma marginatum (9.1%), followed by I. ricinus (5.1%), Dermacentor marginatus (5%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (3.1%) and R. sanguineus (1.2%). Novel tick/pathogen associations were detected, suggesting that certain tick species (such as Hy. marginatum, R. sanguineus and I. ricinus) are vector of more piroplasm species than previously thought. Trans-stadial maintenance of the piroplasms was observed in each positive tick species; vertical transmission of B. canis canis was demonstrated in R. sanguineus. Finally, the detection of Babesia sp., B. microti-like species and B. rodhaini, phylogenetically related to zoonotic species, suggests that the human population could be at risk of infection in the studied area.
在意大利中部和北部，从宠物、牲畜、野生动物和环境中采集的蜱虫（n=2107）通过显微镜鉴定，并通过分子诊断来确定作为梨形虫储存宿主的物种。共鉴定出 11 种硬蜱，其中 5 种为梨形虫阳性。分子诊断在 52 个成年标本中鉴定出马泰勒虫和 8 种巴贝斯虫，这些标本主要（n=50）取自无梨形虫的脊椎动物宿主。硬蜱中宿主种类最多，但在边缘革蜱（9.1%）中记录到的感染率最高，其次是硬蜱（5.1%）、边缘血蜱（5%）、土耳其斯坦璃眼蜱（3.1%）和血红扇头蜱（1.2%）。检测到新的蜱/病原体关联，表明某些蜱种（如边缘革蜱、血红扇头蜱和硬蜱）传播的梨形虫种类比以前认为的要多。在每一种阳性蜱中都观察到梨形虫的跨期维持；在血红扇头蜱中证实了犬巴贝斯虫犬亚种的垂直传播。最后，检测到与巴贝斯虫、微小巴贝斯虫样物种和罗德哈尼巴贝斯虫相关的巴贝斯虫，这些物种与人类病原体有关，表明在研究地区人类可能面临感染风险。
