Santos-Silva Maria Margarida, Melo Pedro, Santos Nuno, Antunes Sandra, Duarte Luís Raposo, Ferrolho Joana, Milhano Natacha, Santos Patrícia Tavares, Domingos Ana, Santos Ana Sofia
Centro de Estudos de Vectores e Doenças Infecciosas Doutor Francisco Cambournac, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida da Liberdade 5, 2965-575 Águas de Moura, Portugal.
Direção Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, Campo Grande nº 50, 1700-093 Lisboa, Portugal; Vetnatura, Calçada Palma de Baixo, 8, 7ºC, 1600-176 Lisboa, Portugal.
Mol Cell Probes. 2017 Feb;31:42-45. doi: 10.1016/j.mcp.2016.11.005. Epub 2016 Nov 25.
The Southeast region of Portugal, particularly the Guadiana valley, is currently the reintroduction territory of Lynx pardinus (Iberian lynx), one of the most endangered felids in the world that is only found in the Iberian Peninsula. Over the last century, populations have declined, placing L. pardinus at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and relying on reintroduction projects. Among the aspects taken into account in the establishment of new populations is the sanitary status of the selected habitats, especially concerning infectious diseases, including tick-borne pathogens (TBPs). This study presents the results of TBPs survey on ticks collected at sensitive conservation areas of Southeast Portugal. From 2012 to 2014, 231 ticks obtained from vegetation, sympatric domestic and wild animals were submitted for analysis. The presence of Babesia spp., Cytauxzoon spp., Theileria spp., Hepatozoon spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, among other Anaplasmataceae, and Coxiella burnetii were investigated by PCR. Six tick species were recorded, Dermacentor marginatus (n = 13/5.6%), Hyalomma lusitanicum (n = 175/75.8%), Ixodes ricinus (n = 4/1.7%), Rhipicephalus bursa (n = 7/3.0%), R. pusillus (n = 21/9.1%) and R. sanguineus sensu lato (n = 11/4.8%). The molecular screening confirmed the presence of two tick-borne pathogens, C. burnetii (N = 34) and Anaplasma platys (N = 1), and one tick-endosymbiont, Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii (N = 45). The results obtained provide new information on the circulation of ticks and TBPs with potential veterinary importance in Iberian lynx habitat.
葡萄牙东南部地区，尤其是瓜迪亚纳河谷，目前是伊比利亚猞猁（Lynx pardinus）的重新引入区域。伊比利亚猞猁是世界上最濒危的猫科动物之一，仅在伊比利亚半岛发现。在过去的一个世纪里，其种群数量有所下降，使得伊比利亚猞猁面临极高的野外灭绝风险，因此依赖于重新引入项目。在建立新种群时考虑的诸多方面中，包括所选栖息地的卫生状况，特别是与传染病相关的状况，其中就包括蜱传病原体（TBPs）。本研究展示了在葡萄牙东南部敏感保护区采集的蜱类上进行的蜱传病原体调查结果。在2012年至2014年期间，从植被、同域的家畜和野生动物身上采集了231只蜱用于分析。通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测了巴贝斯虫属（Babesia spp.）、嗜吞噬细胞无形体属（Cytauxzoon spp.）、泰勒虫属（Theileria spp.）、肝簇虫属（Hepatozoon spp.）、无形体属（Anaplasma spp.）、埃立克体属（Ehrlichia spp.）、新埃立克体（Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis）以及其他无形体科细菌和伯氏考克斯体（Coxiella burnetii）的存在情况。记录到六种蜱类，分别是边缘革蜱（Dermacentor marginatus，n = 13/5.6%）、卢氏璃眼蜱（Hyalomma lusitanicum，n = 175/75.8%）、蓖麻硬蜱（Ixodes ricinus，n = 4/1.7%）、柏氏扇头蜱（Rhipicephalus bursa，n = 7/3.0%）、微小扇头蜱（R. pusillus，n = 21/9.1%）和血红扇头蜱（R. sanguineus sensu lato，n = 11/4.8%）。分子筛查证实存在两种蜱传病原体，即伯氏考克斯体（N = 34）和血小板无形体（Anaplasma platys，N = 1），以及一种蜱内共生菌，即线粒体米氏菌（Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii，N = 45）。所获得的结果为伊比利亚猞猁栖息地中具有潜在兽医重要性的蜱类和蜱传病原体的传播提供了新信息。
