Bhate Ruchi, Pansare Nilesh, Chaudhari Sandeep P, Barbuddhe Sukhadeo B, Choudhary Vijay K, Kurkure Nitin V, Kolte Sunil W
1 Centre for Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Nagpur Veterinary College, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University , Nagpur, India .
2 ICAR-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management , Raipur, India .
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2017 Nov;17(11):749-754. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2017.2159. Epub 2017 Sep 21.
Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus in humans, is an obligate intracytosolic bacterium transmitted among animals and to humans by some species of larval trombiculid mites (chiggers) and is hosted mainly by rodents. In this study, we attempted detection of O. tsutsugamushi from blood and tissue samples of rodents trapped from different locations in Central India using PCR targeting the 56 kDa outer membrane protein gene and the 47 kDa high temperature transmembrane protein gene. A total of 59 rodent samples comprising 38 of blood collected from domestic and public surroundings and 21 of tissue from agricultural farm were included in this study. The 56 kDa outer membrane protein gene was detected from 10 of 59 samples by PCR, and the 47 kDa protein gene was detected from 4 of 59 samples by nested-PCR. Mites collected from the rodents were identified as Ornithonyssus bacoti, and one of five pooled samples was found to be positive for O. tsutsugamushi using PCR targeting 56 kDa outer membrane protein gene. Thus, perpetuation of O. tsutsugamushi among rodents and mites was detected constituting a potential public health concern.
恙虫病东方体是人类恙虫病的病原体，是一种专性胞内细菌，通过某些种类的幼虫恙螨（恙螨幼虫）在动物之间传播并传染给人类，主要宿主是啮齿动物。在本研究中，我们尝试使用针对56 kDa外膜蛋白基因和47 kDa高温跨膜蛋白基因的PCR技术，从印度中部不同地点捕获的啮齿动物的血液和组织样本中检测恙虫病东方体。本研究共纳入59份啮齿动物样本，其中包括从家庭和公共环境中采集的38份血液样本以及从农业农场采集的21份组织样本。通过PCR从59份样本中的10份检测到56 kDa外膜蛋白基因，通过巢式PCR从59份样本中的4份检测到47 kDa蛋白基因。从啮齿动物身上采集的螨虫被鉴定为柏氏禽刺螨，使用针对56 kDa外膜蛋白基因的PCR技术，发现五个混合样本中的一个对恙虫病东方体呈阳性。因此，检测到恙虫病东方体在啮齿动物和螨虫之间持续存在，构成了潜在的公共卫生问题。
