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. 2022 Jul 8;9(7):343.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci9070343.

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Diversity in Ticks and the First Report of Rickettsia hoogstraalii in Romania

Talida Ivan  1 , Ioana Adriana Matei  2 , Cristiana Ștefania Novac  2 , Zsuzsa Kalmár  2   3   4 , Silvia-Diana Borșan  5 , Luciana-Cătălina Panait  5 , Călin Mircea Gherman  5 , Angela Monica Ionică  4 , Ionel Papuc  1 , Andrei Daniel Mihalca  5
Affiliations

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Diversity in Ticks and the First Report of Rickettsia hoogstraalii in Romania

Talida Ivan et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Tickborne bacterial pathogens have been described worldwide as risk factors for both animal and human health. Spotted fevers caused by Rickettsiae may cause non-specific symptoms, which make clinical diagnosis difficult. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and review the diversity of SFG Rickettsiae in ticks collected in 41 counties in Romania. A total of 2028 questing and engorged ticks collected in Romania belonging to five species were tested by PCR amplification of Rickettsia spp. gltA and 17-D gene fragments: Ixodes ricinus (n = 1128), Dermacentor marginatus (n = 507), D. reticulatus (n = 165), Rhipicephalus rossicus (n = 128) and Haemaphysalis punctata (n = 100). Five Rickettsia species were identified following DNA sequence analysis: R. helvetica, R. monacensis, R. slovaca, R. raoultii, and R. hoogstraalii. The most common species detected was R. monacensis. Moreover, R. hoogstraalii was detected for the first time in Romania and in R. rossicus ticks. The detection of R. raoultii and R. monacensis in questing larvae of Hae. punctata suggests the possible transovarial transmission of these Rickettsia species in ticks. The detection of R. hoogstraalii for the first time in Romania increases the reported SFG Rickettsia diversity in the country.

Keywords: Rickettsia hoogstraalii; Romania; SFG Rickettsia spp. diversity; ticks.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The prevalence, diversity, and geographic distribution of Rickettsia spp. in ticks in Romania.
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