Mancuso Elisa, Toma Luciano, Pascucci Ilaria, d'Alessio Silvio Gerardo, Marini Valeria, Quaglia Michela, Riello Sara, Ferri Andrea, Spina Fernando, Serra Lorenzo, Goffredo Maria, Monaco Federica
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale', 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Department of Biomolecular Science, University of Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029 Urbino, Italy.
Pathogens. 2022 Sep 16;11(9):1056. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11091056.
The annual movements of migratory birds can contribute to the spread of African ticks and tick-borne pathogens of potential public health concern across Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate their role in the possible introduction of African ticks and tick-borne pathogens into European countries during spring migration. A total of 2344 ticks were collected during three spring seasons from 1079 birds captured on three Italian stop-over islands during their northbound migration. Once identified, each tick was tested by RT-PCR for the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHFV), West Nile (WNV), and Usutu (USUV) viruses. Moreover, carcasses of birds found dead were collected and tested for the possible presence of WNV and USUV. Results confirmed a higher contribution of trans-Saharan migrants compared to intra-Palearctic ones and the prevalence of African tick species in the sample. CCHFV was detected for the second time in Italy in a , and WNV was found in two ticks of the same genus, all carried by trans-Saharan birds. WNV lineage 1 was also found in the organs of a Garden warbler. These results confirm the role of migratory birds in carrying African ticks, as well as viruses of zoonotic importance, from Africa into Europe.
候鸟的年度迁徙活动可能会促使非洲蜱虫以及具有潜在公共卫生隐患的蜱传病原体在欧洲传播。本研究的目的是调查它们在春季迁徙期间将非洲蜱虫和蜱传病原体引入欧洲国家的可能性中所起的作用。在三个春季期间，从意大利三个中途停留岛屿上捕获的1079只向北迁徙的鸟类身上共采集到2344只蜱虫。一旦鉴定出来，每只蜱虫都通过逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测是否存在克里米亚-刚果出血热病毒（CCHFV）、西尼罗河病毒（WNV）和乌苏图病毒（USUV）。此外，收集死亡鸟类的尸体并检测是否可能存在西尼罗河病毒和乌苏图病毒。结果证实，与古北界内的候鸟相比，跨撒哈拉迁徙的候鸟所携带的蜱虫对传播疾病的作用更大，且样本中非洲蜱虫种类的占比更高。在意大利，首次在一只蜱虫中检测到克里米亚-刚果出血热病毒，在同属的两只蜱虫中发现了西尼罗河病毒，这些蜱虫均由跨撒哈拉迁徙的鸟类携带。在一只花园莺的器官中也发现了西尼罗河病毒1型。这些结果证实了候鸟在将非洲蜱虫以及具有人畜共患病重要性的病毒从非洲携带到欧洲方面所起的作用。
