Detection of pathogens in Dermacentor reticulatus in northwestern Europe: evaluation of a high-throughput array
Hein Sprong,
Manoj Fonville,
Arieke Docters van Leeuwen,
Elodie Devillers,
Adolfo Ibañez-Justicia,
Arjan Stroo,
Kayleigh Hansford,
Benjamin Cull,
Jolyon Medlock,
Paul Heyman,
Christel Cochez,
Lisa Weis,
Cornelia Silaghi,
Sara Moutailler
Affiliations
Hein Sprong
Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Corresponding author.
Manoj Fonville
Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Arieke Docters van Leeuwen
Centre for Zoonoses & Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Elodie Devillers
UMR BIPAR, Animal Health Laboratory, ANSES, INRA, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France
Adolfo Ibañez-Justicia
Centre for Monitoring of Vectors, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Arjan Stroo
Centre for Monitoring of Vectors, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Kayleigh Hansford
Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department – Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, United Kingdom; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit, Environmental Change & Health, United Kingdom
Benjamin Cull
Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department – Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, United Kingdom; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit, Environmental Change & Health, United Kingdom
Jolyon Medlock
Department of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department – Science & Technology, Public Health England, Porton Down, United Kingdom; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit, Environmental Change & Health, United Kingdom
Paul Heyman
Laboratory for Vector-Borne Diseases, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
Christel Cochez
Laboratory for Vector-Borne Diseases, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
Lisa Weis
Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
Cornelia Silaghi
Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
Sara Moutailler
UMR BIPAR, Animal Health Laboratory, ANSES, INRA, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France
Background: The geographic distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus is expanding in Europe. Surveillance of this tick species and its pathogens is desirable, as it transmits pathogens of public and veterinary importance. A high-throughput real-time PCR-based array was used to screen 1.741 D. reticulatus ticks from Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Great Britain for the presence of 28 tick-borne bacteria and twelve protozoan parasites. The presence of pathogen DNA was confirmed by conventional PCR followed by sequencing. Results: The array detected the presence of DNA from Borrelia spp. (7%), B. afzelii (0.1%), B. garinii (0.1%), B. spielmanii (0.1%), B. miyamotoi (0.2%), Anaplasma marginale (0.1%), A. phagocytophilum (0.1%), Ehrlichia canis (2%), Rickettsia helvetica (0.2%), spotted fever group Rickettsia (9.6%), Francisella tularensis or Francisella-like endosymbionts (95%), Coxiella burnettii (0.1%), Babesia divergens (0.2%), B. canis (0.9%) B. vogeli (5.6%), and Theileria equi (0.1%). Only the presence of B. canis and spotted fever group Rickettsia could be confirmed by conventional PCR and sequencing. The spotted fever Rickettsia-positive samples were all identified as R. raoultii. Conclusions: We successfully detected and determined the prevalence of B. canis and R. raoultii in D. reticulatus. An high-throughput array that allows fast and comprehensive testing of tick-borne pathogens is advantageous for surveillance and future epidemiological studies. The importance of thorough validation of real-time PCR-based assays and careful interpretation is evident.
