International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Anne Kopp
Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Armanda D. S. Bastos
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag 20, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
Inga Slothouwer
Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Marco Marklewitz
Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Dorcus Omoga
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Gilbert Rotich
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Caroline Getugi
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Rosemary Sang
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Baldwyn Torto
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Sandra Junglen
Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Free University Berlin, Humboldt-University Berlin, Chariteplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
David P. Tchouassi
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Jingmen tick virus (JMTV) is an arbovirus with a multisegmented genome related to those of unsegmented flaviviruses. The virus first described in Rhipicephalus microplus ticks collected in Jingmen city (Hubei Province, China) in 2010 is associated with febrile illness in humans. Since then, the geographic range has expanded to include Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, and Uganda. However, the ecology of JMTV remains poorly described in Africa. We screened adult ticks (n = 4550, 718 pools) for JMTV infection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Ticks were collected from cattle (n = 859, 18.88%), goats (n = 2070, 45.49%), sheep (n = 1574, 34.59%), and free-ranging tortoises (Leopard tortoise, Stigmochelys pardalis) (n = 47, 1.03%) in two Kenyan pastoralist-dominated areas (Baringo and Kajiado counties) with a history of undiagnosed febrile human illness. Surprisingly, ticks collected from goats (0.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1–0.5), sheep (1.8%, 95% CI 1.2–2.5), and tortoise (74.5%, 95% CI 60.9–85.4, were found infected with JMTV, but ticks collected from cattle were all negative. JMTV ribonucleic acid (RNA) was also detected in blood from tortoises (66.7%, 95% CI 16.1–97.7). Intragenetic distance of JMTV sequences originating from tortoise-associated ticks was greater than that of sheep-associated ticks. Phylogenetic analyses of seven complete-coding genome sequences generated from tortoise-associated ticks formed a monophyletic clade within JMTV strains from other countries. In summary, our findings confirm the circulation of JMTV in ticks in Kenya. Further epidemiological surveys are needed to assess the potential public health impact of JMTV in Kenya.
