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. 2024 Nov 13;10(23):e40205.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40205. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.

Molecular identification of tick (Acari: Ixodidae) and tick-borne pathogens from Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra Przewalskii) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) in Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve, China

Qiang Chen  1 , Zengkui Li  1 , Ming Kang  1 , Guangwei Hu  2 , Jinshan Cai  3 , Jing Li  3 , Xiaoling Han  4 , Changjiang Chen  5 , Shunfu He  6 , Xiaoyu Hu  1 , Yongcai He  1 , Zhongyu Li  7 , Jiyong Chen  8 , Pengcheng Geng  9 , Shuo Jiang  1 , Jinghua Ma  1 , Xiao Zhang  1 , Ximei Tai  1 , Ying Li  1   10
Affiliations

Molecular identification of tick (Acari: Ixodidae) and tick-borne pathogens from Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra Przewalskii) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) in Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve, China

Qiang Chen et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

The Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve (QLNNR), renowned for its abundant natural resources and diverse ecological habitats, serves as an ideal environment for ticks, thereby increasing the risk of various tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) transmission. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of TBPs in ticks collected from Przewalski's gazelle and Tibetan sheep within the QLNNR. A total of 313 tick samples were collected from the vicinity of Qinghai Lake. Tick species identification was conducted using both morphological and molecular biology techniques. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed to detect the presence of spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia, Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Theileria spp, Borrelia burgdorferi, Brucella spp, and Anaplasma ovis was performed using specific primers. Positive samples were sequenced and analyzed using BLASTn, followed by phylogenetic tree construction. The ticks collected from the Qinghai Lake area were identified as Dermacentor nuttalli. The overall prevalence rates of ticks carrying SFG Rickettsia and C. burnetii were 42.8 % (134/313) and 4.8 % (15/313), respectively. Three SFG Rickettsia species were detected, including R. raoultii 33.9 % (106/313), R. slovaca 3.8 % (12/113) and R. sibirica 7.7 % (24/113), with R. raoultii being the predominant species. The prevalence rates of SFG Rickettsia and C. burnetii in ticks from Tibetan sheep was 44.7 % (115/257) and 4.7 % (12/257), respectively,and in ticks from Przewalski's gazelle were 33.9 % (19/56) and 5.4 % (3/56). Furthermore, the study revealed a positive linear relationship between the abundance of Przewalski's gazelle and the number of ticks, as well as the prevalence of TBPs. The current study has identified Dermacentor nuttalli as the predominant tick vector species within the QLNNR region. The detection of SFG Rickettsia and C. burnetii has augmented our understanding of the epidemiological profile of ticks and TBPs in this area, thereby providing a robust theoretical foundation for the implementation of effective prevention and control strategies against TBPs.

Keywords: Dermacentor nuttalli; Przewalski's gazelle; Qinghai lake national nature reserve; Tibetan sheep; Tick-borne pathogens.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve the sampling sites. The Przewalski's gazelle and Tibetan sheep icon indicates the location of the sample collection in this study.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The dorsal view and ventral view of Dermacentor nuttalli.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Phylogenetic tree based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 gene of Dermacentor spp. obtained in this study. Bootstraps analysis was performedwith 1000 replicates. The solid diamond and bolded represent the sequence of this study.Alectorobius rietcorreai (KX130798, KX130797) was used as outgroup.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Phylogenetic tree based on ompA particle sequences of spotted fever group Rickettisa obtained in this study. Bootstraps analysis was performed with 1000 replicates. The solid triangle indicates sequences from Rickettsia raoultii, the solid circle indicates sequences from Rickettsia slovaca, and the solid diamond indicate sequences from Rickettsia sibirica. All sequences from this study are bolded.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Phylogenetic tree based on sca4 particle sequences of spotted fever group Rickettisa obtained in this study. Bootstraps analysis was performed with 1000 replicates. The solid triangle indicates sequences from Rickettsia raoultii, the solid circle indicates sequences from Rickettsia slovaca, and the solid diamond indicate sequences from Rickettsia sibirica. All sequences from this study are bolded.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Phylogenetic tree based on htpB particle sequences of Coxiella burnetii obtained in this study. Bootstraps analysis was performed with 1000 replicates. The solid triangle and bolded represent the sequence of this study. Coxiella symbiont (DQ177442) was used as outgroup.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The relationship between the number of individuals in the Przewalski gazelle population and the prevalence of ticks and tick borne diseases.
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