Mahlobo Sibonginhlanhla Innocentia, Zishiri Oliver Tendayi
University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Life Sciences, Discipline of Genetics, Durban 4000, South Africa.
University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Life Sciences, Discipline of Genetics, Durban 4000, South Africa.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2021 Jul;25:100611. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2021.100611. Epub 2021 Jul 16.
Ticks are medically important and significant vectors of diseases affecting livestock, humans, and companion animals than any other arthropod vectors. In the absence of information on the relationship of tick species and piroplasms parasites in Lesotho, the current study was aimed at detecting piroplasms parasites of economic importance from ticks of domestic animals. A total of 322 pooled tick DNA samples were subjected to PCR screening for the presence of piroplasms. The overall infection rate of piroplasms was 7% with Babesia bigemina at 3.4% (11/322), B. bovis 0.3% (1/322), B. ovis 2.8% (9/322) and 0.6% (2/322) for B. motasi. DNA extracted from the Lesotho Rhipicephalus decoloratus and R. evertsi evertsi tested positive for the presence of B. bigemina with a 15% and 3% infection rate, respectively. Otobius megnini tested positive for only B. bovis at a 12.5% infection rate. Rhipicephalus e. evertsi was the only tick species PCR positive for ovine babesiosis with 3.2% for B. ovis and 0.7% for B. motasi. Equine piroplasm (Theileria equi and B. caballi) and Theileria (T. parva and T. ovis) parasites were not detected in the current study. The PCR-positive samples were confirmed by direct sequencing of the product. This study is the first to report on a relationship of Babesia parasites with tick species in Lesotho and it is evident that vector-borne diseases are present in ticks of domestic animals in this country. Research findings in this study require a joint effort from both veterinary and medical sectors to unite and conduct more epidemiological studies of tick-borne diseases in both animals and humans and to also determine the role played by tick species in the transmission of the detected parasites in domestic animals of Lesotho. This information provides a baseline knowledge of important piroplasms parasites and raising awareness of their prevalence in Lesotho.
蜱在医学上具有重要意义，是影响家畜、人类和伴侣动物的疾病传播媒介，比任何其他节肢动物传播媒介都更为重要。由于缺乏莱索托蜱种与梨形虫寄生虫关系的相关信息，本研究旨在从家畜蜱中检测具有经济重要性的梨形虫寄生虫。总共322份混合蜱DNA样本接受了梨形虫存在情况的PCR筛查。梨形虫的总体感染率为7%，其中双芽巴贝斯虫为3.4%（11/322），牛巴贝斯虫为0.3%（1/322），绵羊巴贝斯虫为2.8%（9/322），莫氏巴贝斯虫为0.6%（2/322）。从莱索托变色璃眼蜱和埃氏璃眼蜱提取的DNA检测出双芽巴贝斯虫呈阳性，感染率分别为15%和3%。巨耳蜱仅检测出牛巴贝斯虫呈阳性，感染率为12.5%。埃氏璃眼蜱是唯一一种PCR检测出绵羊巴贝斯虫病呈阳性的蜱种，其中绵羊巴贝斯虫感染率为3.2%，莫氏巴贝斯虫感染率为0.7%。本研究未检测到马梨形虫（马泰勒虫和驽巴贝斯虫）以及泰勒虫（小泰勒虫和绵羊泰勒虫）寄生虫。通过对PCR阳性样本的产物进行直接测序来确认结果。本研究首次报道了莱索托巴贝斯虫寄生虫与蜱种的关系，显然该国的家畜蜱中存在媒介传播疾病。本研究的结果需要兽医和医疗部门共同努力，联合开展更多关于动物和人类蜱传疾病的流行病学研究，并确定蜱种在莱索托家畜中检测到的寄生虫传播中所起的作用。这些信息提供了重要梨形虫寄生虫的基础知识，并提高了对其在莱索托流行情况的认识。
