Wild Hedgehogs and Their Parasitic Ticks Coinfected with Multiple Tick-Borne Pathogens in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China.

The increasing awareness of emerging tickborne pathogens (TBPs) has inspired much research. In the present study, the coinfections of TBPs both in ticks and their wild hedgehog hosts in Jiangsu province, Eastern China were determined by metagenome next-generation sequencing and nested PCR. As a result, Rickettsia japonica (81.1%), novel sp. SFGR-1 (5.1%), Anaplasma bovis (12%), A. platys (6.3%), novel spp. Ehr-1 (16%) and Ehr-2 (0.6%), E. ewingii-like strain (0.6%), Coxiella burnetii (10.9%), and a novel -like endosymbiont (CLE) strain (61.1%) were detected in ticks. A. bovis (43.8%), sp. Ehr-1 (83.3%), and C. burnetii (80%) were detected in Erinaceus amurensis hedgehogs. Coinfection rates with various TBPs were 71.5% and 83.3% in ticks and hedgehogs, respectively, both with double-pathogen/endosymbiont coinfection rates over 50%. We found the following. (i) hedgehogs seem to contribute to the natural cycles of , , sp., and C. burnetii and may be reservoirs of them except for , and is proved to infect hedgehogs for the first time. (ii) is proved to harbor various TBPs as a reservoir host, including CLE identified for the first time, which could inhibit coinfection of C. burnetii while promoting that of spp. in (iii) Four novel TBP species were identified. This study provides useful epidemiological information crucial for assessing the potential infection risks to humans, thus benefiting the development of strategies to prevent and control tick-borne diseases. In the present study, we found the following. (i) hedgehogs seem to contribute to the natural cycles of , , sp., and C. burnetii and may be reservoirs of them except for , and is proved to infect hedgehogs for the first time. (ii) is proved to harbor various tickborne pathogens (TBPs) as a reservoir host, including -like endosymbiont (CLE) identified for the first time, which could inhibit coinfection of C. burnetii while promoting that of spp. in (iii) Four novel TBP species were identified. This study provides useful epidemiological information on TBPs harbored and transmitted by ticks and their hosts, for assessing the potential infection risks to humans, thus benefiting the developing strategies for tick-borne diseases prevention and control.