Chao Li-Lian, Ko Pei-Yin, Shih Chien-Ming
M.Sc. Program in Tropical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114201, Taiwan.
Microorganisms. 2024 Aug 28;12(9):1779. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12091779.
is a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen of canines. In this study, the presence of was screened for in brown dog ticks () infesting stray dogs in Taiwan to determine overall prevalence. This study represents the first instance of genetic identification of in brown dog ticks in Taiwan. In total, we examined 324 brown dog ticks for infection by nested polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The general prevalence of infection was 3.1%, with 3.6%, 4.0%, and 2.1% in nymph, female, and male ticks, respectively. Monthly prevalence of infection was observed from May to September. Genetic relatedness was determined by comparing the sequences of the 16S rRNA gene obtained from six Taiwan strains and seventeen other strains, representing six genospecies of spp. and three outgroups (, and ). All Taiwan specimens were shown to genetically belong to the group, and could be clearly discriminated from other spp. Genetic similarities revealed a 100% identity match with various documented in GenBank. This study highlights the epidemiological importance of geographical transmission of among dogs and the possible risk for human infections in Taiwan.
是一种由蜱传播的犬类人畜共患病原体。在本研究中，对台湾地区感染流浪犬的棕狗蜱（）中是否存在进行了筛查，以确定总体患病率。本研究是台湾地区首次对棕狗蜱中的进行基因鉴定。我们总共通过针对16S核糖体RNA基因的巢式聚合酶链反应检测，检查了324只棕狗蜱是否感染。感染的总体患病率为3.1%，若虫、雌蜱和雄蜱的感染率分别为3.6%、4.0%和2.1%。在5月至9月观察到了每月的感染患病率。通过比较从六个台湾菌株和其他十七个菌株获得的16S rRNA基因序列来确定遗传相关性，这十七个其他菌株代表了六个种的基因型和三个外群（、和）。所有台湾标本在基因上都属于组，并且可以与其他种明显区分开来。遗传相似性显示与GenBank中记录的各种具有100%的同一性匹配。本研究强调了在台湾地区狗之间的地理传播的流行病学重要性以及对人类感染的潜在风险。
