Molecular Detection of Tacheng Tick Virus-1 (TcTV-1) and Jingmen Tick Virus in Ticks Collected from Wildlife and Livestock in Turkey: First Indication of TcTV-1 Beyond China

Abstract

Background: Jingmen tick virus (JMTV) and Tacheng tick virus-1 (TcTV-1) are emerging tick-borne viruses that have been recently confirmed to be etiological agents of human disease in China. However, the ecology of JMTV and TcTV-1, especially their association with ticks in wildlife and livestock, remains largely unknown in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Eight hundred thirty-two tick specimens in 117 pools were collected in Turkey between 2020 and 2022 from wildlife (Miniopterus schreibersii and Rhinolophus hipposideros; n = 10, 1.2%; Testudo graeca; n = 50, 6%) and livestock (Ovis aries and Capra aegagrus hircus; n = 772, 92.7%). The specimens were individually screened for JMTV and TcTV-1 using nRT-PCR assays targeting the partial genes. Results: JMTV was detected in one Ixodes simplex pool and two Rhipicephalus bursa pools collected from central and Aegean provinces, respectively. TcTV-1 was identified in five Hyalomma aegyptium pools collected in Mediterranean provinces. No coinfection was detected in the tick pools. Maximum likelihood analysis of JMTV partial segment 1 sequences reveal that these sequences form a separate cluster together with viruses previously characterized in Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula. The phylogenetic analysis of the TcTV-1 nucleocapsid sequences indicates that they are closely related to viruses in ticks, sheep, cattle, and humans in China, but form a separate group among themselves. Conclusion: This study provides the first molecular evidence of TcTV-1 in Hy. aegyptium in Turkey. In addion, these findings indicate that JMTV and TcTV-1 extend ticks species and geographic distributions. Thus, multiregional surveillance in livestock and wildlife is needed to evaluate potential tick vectors and the human health impact of these viruses in Turkey.

Keywords: Jingmen tick virus; PCR; Tacheng tick virus-1; Turkey; bat ticks; tortoise ticks.