Carrera-Faja Laura, Ghadamnan Elmira, Sarmiento Iris, Cabrera-Gumbau Jordi Manuel, Jasso Mariette Viladomat, Estruch Josep, Borràs Daniel, Martínez-Urtaza Jaime, Espunyes Johan, Cabezón Oscar
Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group (WildCoM), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
One Health. 2025 Mar 28;20:101022. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101022. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Incursions of wild animals into urban areas amplify the potential risks of zoonotic disease transmission by increasing contact between humans and animal reservoirs. Monitoring the presence of pathogens in these animals is crucial for assessing zoonotic risks but remains challenging due to the vast array of known and unknown pathogens harboured by animals. Microbiome-based approaches provide an efficient and comprehensive alternative for monitoring microbial communities and scanning the whole spectrum of bacterial pathogens. In this study, we applied this innovative conceptual framework to implement a sentinel monitoring system for investigating zoonotic tick-borne bacteria in three tick species sampled from wild boars in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (MAB). Using Nanopore sequencing of the full length 16 s rRNA gene, we demonstrated a fast and cost-effective approach for microbiome analysis. Our findings revealed the presence of two pathogenic genera widely documented in ticks, encompassing five species: and , both previously detected in the area, and for the first time, -the causative agent of tularemia- as well as and , potentially emerging patogens. Finally, our results showed distinct bacterial compositions across the tick species examined. This study highlights the sensitivity and comprehensiveness of microbiome-based surveillance of tick-borne pathogens, enabling the early detection of emerging and low-abundance bacterial species that might otherwise go unnoticed with less sensitive techniques. Such proactive detection efforts are crucial for facilitating early identification and implementing prevention strategies to mitigate zoonotic risks.
野生动物侵入城市地区，通过增加人类与动物宿主之间的接触，放大了人畜共患病传播的潜在风险。监测这些动物体内病原体的存在对于评估人畜共患病风险至关重要，但由于动物携带的已知和未知病原体种类繁多，这一工作仍然具有挑战性。基于微生物组的方法为监测微生物群落和扫描细菌病原体的全谱提供了一种高效且全面的替代方案。在本研究中，我们应用了这一创新概念框架，实施了一个哨兵监测系统，以调查从巴塞罗那大都市区（MAB）的野猪身上采集的三种蜱虫中的蜱传人畜共患病细菌。通过对全长16 s rRNA基因进行纳米孔测序，我们展示了一种快速且经济高效的微生物组分析方法。我们的研究结果揭示了在蜱虫中广泛记录的两个致病属，包括五个物种： 和 ，这两种此前在该地区已被检测到，还有首次检测到的土拉菌病病原体 ，以及 和 ，它们可能是新兴病原体。最后，我们的结果显示在所检查的蜱虫物种中细菌组成不同。这项研究突出了基于微生物组的蜱传病原体监测的敏感性和全面性，能够早期检测出可能会被不太敏感的技术忽视的新兴和低丰度细菌物种。这种主动检测工作对于促进早期识别和实施预防策略以减轻人畜共患病风险至关重要。
