Grassi Laura, Menandro Maria Luisa, Cassini Rudi, Mondin Alessandra, Pasotto Daniela, Grillini Marika, Rocca Giuseppe, Drigo Michele
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy.
Euganean Hills Regional Park, 35042 Este, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Apr 8;12(8):967. doi: 10.3390/ani12080967.
Tick-borne rickettsiae are emerging pathogens that are becoming widespread in Europe. Rickettsiae are endemic in Italy, but epidemiological data are currently scarce. This study aimed to improve our knowledge about rickettsial infections in tick and wild boar populations. Blood and ticks were collected from 102 wild boars in 2010 and 2018. Ticks were also collected from the vegetation in the area. All of the samples were examined using real-time PCR targeting the gene to detect DNA. Positivity was confirmed by PCR amplifying the and/or genes. A total of 254 ticks and 89 blood samples were analyzed. Zoonotic rickettsiae were detected in the ticks but not in the blood samples. () was the most prevalent in ticks and was found in 23.7% of () and in 3.4% of (). Other zoonotic species were identified, such as , which was detected in 12% of ticks, and which was found in 3.4% of questing ticks and in 1.1% of collected from wild boars. This study highlights a high prevalence of zoonotic rickettsiae, particularly that of , in northeastern Italy. As rickettsioses are underreported and underdiagnosed in human medicine, both clinicians and researchers should pay more attention to this topic.
蜱传立克次体是正在欧洲广泛传播的新兴病原体。立克次体在意大利呈地方性流行，但目前流行病学数据稀缺。本研究旨在增进我们对蜱和野猪种群中立克次体感染的了解。2010年和2018年从102头野猪身上采集了血液和蜱。还从该地区的植被中采集了蜱。所有样本均采用针对该基因的实时PCR进行检测以检测DNA。通过PCR扩增该基因和/或该基因来确认阳性。共分析了254只蜱和89份血液样本。在蜱中检测到了人兽共患立克次体，但在血液样本中未检测到。（）在蜱中最为普遍，在（）的23.7%和（）的3.4%中被发现。还鉴定出了其他一些人兽共患病种，例如，在12%的蜱中被检测到，在3.4%的觅食蜱和从野猪身上采集的蜱的1.1%中被发现。本研究突出了意大利东北部人兽共患立克次体的高流行率，尤其是（）的流行率。由于立克次体病在人类医学中报告不足且诊断不足，临床医生和研究人员都应更加关注这一话题。
