Liu Ya-Ting, Wang Yi-Fei, Zhang Ming-Zhu, Zhu Dai-Yun, Sun Yi, Gong Cai-Wei, Zhan Lin, Cui Xiao-Ming, Cao Wu-Chun
State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China.
Institute of EcoHealth, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
Microorganisms. 2025 Mar 27;13(4):765. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13040765.
Ticks and tick-borne pathogens pose a significant threat to human and animal health, yet the diversity and prevalence of tick-borne microorganisms in karst regions remains inadequately explored. In October 2023, a total of 274 ticks were collected from livestock in Guizhou Province, which boasts the largest karst area in China. Pathogen identification was subsequently performed using PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. High microbial diversity was noted, with five bacterial species from the order Rickettsiales detected, including those from the genera (family ), , and (family ). The overall prevalence of infection with at least one pathogen was remarkably high at 94.5%. The highest positive rate was observed for Rickettsia jingxinensis at 90.9%. A novel species, provisionally designated as Ehrlichia carsus, was identified with a positive rate of 16.8%. In addition, , and were detected in 15.3%, 4.7% and 1.5%, respectively. The co-infections involving two or three rickettsial species were observed in 34.3% ticks. These findings highlight the high diversity and prevalence of tick-borne rickettsial agents in the karst area, underscoring the need for enhanced surveillance and effective tick control to mitigate disease risks to both humans and livestock.
蜱虫及其传播的病原体对人类和动物健康构成重大威胁，但岩溶地区蜱传微生物的多样性和流行情况仍未得到充分探索。2023年10月，从中国岩溶面积最大的贵州省的家畜身上共采集了274只蜱虫。随后采用聚合酶链反应（PCR）扩增、桑格测序和系统发育分析进行病原体鉴定。结果发现微生物多样性很高，检测到立克次氏体目中的5种细菌，包括 属（ 科）、 属和 属（ 科）的细菌。至少感染一种病原体的总体感染率高达94.5%。京新立克次氏体的阳性率最高，为90.9%。鉴定出一种新的 种，暂定为卡苏埃里希氏体，阳性率为16.8%。此外， 、 和 的检出率分别为15.3%、4.7%和1.5%。在34.3%的蜱虫中观察到两种或三种立克次氏体物种的共感染。这些发现凸显了岩溶地区蜱传立克次氏体病原体的高度多样性和流行情况，强调需要加强监测和有效控制蜱虫，以降低对人类和家畜的疾病风险。
