Barradas Patrícia F, Mesquita João R, Ferreira Paula, Gärtner Fátima, Carvalho Madalena, Inácio Esmeralda, Chivinda Eduardo, Katimba António, Amorim Irina
Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.
Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021 Jan;12(1):101583. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101583. Epub 2020 Oct 10.
Ticks are one of the most common vectors of a broad variety of pathogenic agents that significantly affects cattle production causing reduced productivity and important economic losses, while simultaneously having an impact on human health due to the zoonotic risk. In much of the territory of Angola urban population has grown rapidly in recent decades, sharing today close contact with large farms that are generally owned by city residents, providing the ideal conditions for vector-borne pathogens (VBP) transmission between animals and humans. Here we studied the occurrence of Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Babesia and Theileria in domestic cattle (n = 98) from Huambo, Angola, and their ticks (n = 116) to obtain a more detailed knowledge into the spectrum of tick-borne agents circulating in this population. We morphologically identified Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus decoloratus and R. evertsi mimeticus ticks, further confirmed by molecular analysis of the 12S rDNA and 16S rDNA genes. Although none of the bovine blood showed to be positive for R. africae by the ompB, ompA and gltA assays, five ticks showed to be positive for R. africae by the ompB, ompA and the gltA PCRs. Two 18S rRNA sequences were retrieved from bovine blood and one sequence from A. variegatum tick, showing 100% identity with Theileria mutans. By using a PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Anaplama spp. we have also obtained six bovine blood samples showing 99-100 % nucleotide sequence identity with A. capra, two showing 98 % nucleotide sequence identity with A. phagocytophilum and three showing 98-100 % nucleotide sequence identity with A. platys. None of the ticks were positive. The present study shows the presence of a wide range of vector-borne diseases in domestic cattle and their ticks in Huambo province, Angola. Given the lack of both animal and human health infrastructures in this rural region, swift diagnosis and treatment is hampered which could produce a more severe impact on health.
蜱虫是多种病原体最常见的传播媒介之一，这些病原体严重影响养牛业，导致生产力下降和重大经济损失，同时由于人畜共患病风险，也对人类健康产生影响。在安哥拉的大部分地区，近几十年来城市人口迅速增长，如今与通常由城市居民拥有的大型农场密切接触，为动物和人类之间的媒介传播病原体（VBP）传播提供了理想条件。在这里，我们研究了来自安哥拉万博的家牛（n = 98）及其蜱虫（n = 116）中立克次体、无形体、埃立克体、巴贝斯虫和泰勒虫的发生情况，以更详细地了解该人群中传播的蜱传病原体谱。我们通过形态学鉴定出了杂色花蜱、无色扇头蜱和拟埃氏扇头蜱，通过对12S rDNA和16S rDNA基因的分子分析进一步得到证实。尽管通过ompB、ompA和gltA检测，没有一份牛血样本显示非洲立克次体呈阳性，但五只蜱虫通过ompB、ompA和gltA PCR检测显示非洲立克次体呈阳性。从牛血中检索到两个18S rRNA序列，从杂色花蜱中检索到一个序列，与突变泰勒虫显示100%的同一性。通过使用针对无形体属16S rRNA基因的PCR，我们还获得了六个牛血样本，与山羊无形体的核苷酸序列同一性为99 - 100%，两个与嗜吞噬细胞无形体的核苷酸序列同一性为98%，三个与血小板无形体的核苷酸序列同一性为98 - 100%。没有蜱虫呈阳性。本研究表明，安哥拉万博省的家牛及其蜱虫中存在多种媒介传播疾病。鉴于该农村地区缺乏动物和人类健康基础设施，快速诊断和治疗受到阻碍，这可能对健康产生更严重的影响。
