Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine (WHO Collaborating Center), Medical School, University of Crete, Voutes, Heraklion, Crete 71100, Greece.
Microb Ecol. 2012 Feb;63(2):314-23. doi: 10.1007/s00248-011-9926-4. Epub 2011 Aug 11.
In two surveys conducted from March 1999 to March 2001 and from January 2004 to December 2006, a total of 3,950 ticks (belonging to ten different species) were collected from seven domestic and wild animals (goat, sheep, cattle, dog, fox, hare, and mouflon) from different localities throughout Cyprus. In order to establish their infection rate with Spotted Fever Rickettsiae (SFG), ticks were pooled and tested by polymerase chain reaction targeting gltA and ompA genes, followed by sequencing analysis. When tick pools tested positive, individual ticks were then tested one by one, and of the 3,950 ticks screened, rickettsial DNA was identified in 315 ticks (infection rate, 8%). Five SFG Rickettsiae were identified: Rickettsia aeschlimannii in Hyalomma marginatum marginatum, Rickettsia massiliae in Rhipicephalus turanicus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rickettsia sibirica mongolotimonae in Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum, and a Rickettsia endosymbiont of Haemaphysalis sulcata (later described as Rickettsia hoogstraalii) in Haemaphysalis punctata. Two additional genes, 17 kDa and ompB, were targeted to characterize a new genotype of "Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae" genotype in R. turanicus, designated here as "Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae" Cretocypriensis. These results confirm the presence of a spectrum of SFG Rickettsiae on the island. Further studies are necessary to gain better knowledge on the epidemiology of SFG Rickettsiae in Cyprus.
在 1999 年 3 月至 2001 年 3 月和 2004 年 1 月至 2006 年 12 月进行的两项调查中，从塞浦路斯各地的七种家养和野生动物（山羊、绵羊、牛、狗、狐狸、野兔和摩弗伦羊）中收集了总共 3950 只（属于十个不同物种）蜱虫。为了确定它们感染斑点热立克次体（SFG）的感染率，蜱虫被汇集在一起，并通过聚合酶链反应靶向 gltA 和 ompA 基因进行测试，随后进行测序分析。当蜱虫池检测为阳性时，然后逐个测试单个蜱虫，在所筛选的 3950 只蜱虫中，有 315 只蜱虫检测到立克次体 DNA（感染率为 8%）。鉴定出五种 SFG 立克次体：在边缘硬蜱中鉴定出拉氏立克次体，在钝缘蜱和血红扇头蜱中鉴定出马赛立克次体，在安纳托利亚钝缘蜱中鉴定出西伯利亚立克次体蒙古亚种，在血红革蜱中鉴定出 Haemaphysalis sulcata 的内共生体（后来被描述为里氏立克次体）。为了表征钝缘蜱中的一种新基因型“候选立克次体巴巴里亚种”基因型，还靶向了 17 kDa 和 ompB 两个基因，在这里将其命名为“候选立克次体巴巴里亚种”克里特岛亚种。这些结果证实了该岛存在一系列 SFG 立克次体。需要进一步的研究来更好地了解塞浦路斯 SFG 立克次体的流行病学。
