Sayler Katherine, Rowland Jessica, Boyce Carisa, Weeks Emma
College of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, Veterinary Academic Building, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Department of Entomology and Nematology, PO Box 110620, 1881 Natural Area Drive, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Emerging Pathogens Institute, 2055 Mowry Rd, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2017 Jan;8(1):53-59. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.09.016. Epub 2016 Sep 24.
Tick-borne diseases are an emerging public health threat in the United States. In Florida, there has been public attention directed towards the possibility of locally acquired Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the causative agent of Lyme disease, in association with the lone star tick. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ticks and the pathogens they carry and potentially transmit, such as B. burgdorferi, in a highly utilized teaching and research forest in North Central Florida. Ticks were collected by dragging and flagging methods over a four month period in early 2014, identified, and tested by PCR for multiple pathogens including Anaplasma, Borrelia, Rickettsia, and Ehrlichia species. During the study period the following ticks were collected: 2506 (96.5%) Amblyomma americanum L., 64 (2.5%) Ixodes scapularis Say, 19 (0.7%) Dermacentor variabilis Say, and 5 (0.2%) Ixodes affinis Neuman. Neither Borrelia spp. (0/846) nor Anaplasma spp. (0/69; Ixodes spp. only) were detected by PCR in any of the ticks tested. However, Rickettsia DNA was present in 53.7% (86/160), 62.5% (40/64), 60.0% (3/5) and 31.6% (6/19) of A. americanum, I. scapularis, I. affinis and D. variabilis, respectively. Furthermore, E. chaffeensis and E. ewingii DNA were detected in 1.3% and 4.4% of adult A. americanum specimens tested, respectively. Although receiving an A. americanum bite is likely in wooded areas in North Central Florida due to the abundance of this tick, the risk of contracting a tick-borne pathogen in this specific area during the spring season appears to be low. The potential for pathogen prevalence to be highly variable exists, even within a single geographical site and longitudinal studies are needed to assess how tick-borne pathogen prevalence is changing over time in North Central Florida.
蜱传疾病在美国正成为一种新出现的公共卫生威胁。在佛罗里达州，公众已将注意力投向本地获得狭义伯氏疏螺旋体（莱姆病的病原体）的可能性，这种病原体与孤星蜱有关。本研究的目的是确定在佛罗里达州中北部一片被高度利用的教学和研究用森林中蜱的患病率以及它们携带并可能传播的病原体，如伯氏疏螺旋体。在2014年初的四个月期间，通过拖拽和标记法收集蜱，进行鉴定，并通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测多种病原体，包括无形体属、疏螺旋体属、立克次体属和埃立克体属的物种。在研究期间，收集到以下几种蜱：2506只美洲钝眼蜱（占96.5%）、64只肩突硬蜱（占2.5%）、19只变异革蜱（占0.7%）和5只亲缘硬蜱（占0.2%）。在所检测的任何蜱中，通过PCR均未检测到疏螺旋体属（0/846）和无形体属（0/69，仅针对硬蜱属）。然而，分别在86/160（53.7%）的美洲钝眼蜱、40/64（62.5%）的肩突硬蜱、3/5（60.0%）的亲缘硬蜱和6/（19）31.6%的变异革蜱中检测到立克次体DNA。此外，分别在1.3%和4.4%检测的成年美洲钝眼蜱标本中检测到查菲埃立克体和尤因埃立克体DNA。尽管由于该地区美洲钝眼蜱数量众多 在佛罗里达州中北部的林区很可能会被其叮咬，但在春季这个特定地区感染蜱传病原体的风险似乎较低。即使在单个地理区域内，病原体患病率也可能存在很大差异，因此需要进行纵向研究来评估佛罗里达州中北部蜱传病原体患病率随时间的变化情况。
