Shu Chang, Intirach Jitrawadee, Zhou Yunfei, Gao Suzhen, Lv Xin, Jiao Huisheng, Hu Yue, Lv Zhiyue
Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China.
School of Basic Medical Sciences and Life Sciences, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 Oct 8;15:1450219. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1450219. eCollection 2024.
Microbial communities significantly influence the vector capacity of ticks, which, along with tick-borne diseases, pose an increasing global threat. Due to the substantial individual variability caused by various factors, it is essential to assess tick microbial communities and vectorial capacities under different environmental conditions. However, there is a relative scarcity of research on the microbial communities and pathogen transmission of ticks in different physiological states and environmental conditions, especially in Hainan Island, southern China.
From 2021 to 2022, we collected 4,167 tick samples, grouping them by blood meal status, developmental stage, sex, time, geographical location, and tick species. We selected 128 samples for full-length 16S rRNA sequencing to describe microbial community characteristics and identify potential biomarkers. Seven hundred seventy-two samples were tested for seven tick-borne pathogens (, , , , , , and ), and sera from 208 residents of Hainan Island were tested for IgG antibodies against and .
Blood meal status, developmental stage, sex, time, geographical location, and tick species significantly influenced the microbial communities of ticks. We observed distinct microbial community characteristics across different states. We noted the non-random replacement of stable and transient species, with functional differences between parasitic and engorged ticks mainly driven by transient species. Functionally, we observed three distinct response patterns: driven by stable species, transient species, and both together in response to the six factors. We identified 273 potential biomarkers (200 robust core species and 73 robust differential species). Six genera and eight species of pathogens were detected in ticks, with an overall positivity rate of 12.44% (96/772). Among humans, 18.27% (38/208) of serum samples were positive for at least one tick-borne pathogen IgG.
Our findings indicate that these six factors significantly influence both tick microbial communities and vectorial capacity, with varying effects on vector competence for different pathogens and inconsistent impacts on microbial communities under different conditions. This study supplemented the understanding of tick microbial communities on Hainan Island, assessed the relatively high risk of tick-borne pathogens in the region, and evaluated the impact of these factors on both microbial communities and vectorial capacity.
微生物群落对蜱的传播能力有显著影响，蜱及其传播的疾病对全球构成了日益严重的威胁。由于各种因素导致个体差异很大，因此有必要评估不同环境条件下蜱的微生物群落和传播能力。然而，关于不同生理状态和环境条件下蜱的微生物群落及病原体传播的研究相对较少，尤其是在中国南方的海南岛。
2021年至2022年，我们收集了4167份蜱样本，根据血餐状态、发育阶段、性别、时间、地理位置和蜱种进行分组。我们选择了128份样本进行全长16S rRNA测序，以描述微生物群落特征并鉴定潜在的生物标志物。对772份样本检测了七种蜱传病原体（、、、、、和），并对208名海南岛居民的血清检测了针对和的IgG抗体。
血餐状态、发育阶段、性别、时间、地理位置和蜱种对蜱的微生物群落有显著影响。我们观察到不同状态下有明显的微生物群落特征。我们注意到稳定物种和短暂物种的非随机更替，寄生蜱和饱血蜱之间的功能差异主要由短暂物种驱动。在功能上，我们观察到三种不同的响应模式：由稳定物种、短暂物种以及两者共同响应这六个因素。我们鉴定出273个潜在的生物标志物（200个稳健的核心物种和73个稳健的差异物种）。在蜱中检测到六种属和八种病原体，总体阳性率为12.44%（96/772）。在人类中，18.27%（38/208）的血清样本至少有一种蜱传病原体IgG呈阳性。
我们的研究结果表明，这六个因素对蜱的微生物群落和传播能力都有显著影响，对不同病原体的传播能力影响各异，在不同条件下对微生物群落的影响也不一致。本研究补充了对海南岛蜱微生物群落的认识，评估了该地区蜱传病原体的相对高风险，并评估了这些因素对微生物群落和传播能力的影响。
