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Veterinary Sciences
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Tick-Borne Diseases and Their Control
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Tick-Borne Diseases and Their Control

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Biomedical Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 August 2023) | Viewed by 9522

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Solarz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Parasitology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-635 Katowice, Poland
Interests: ticks and tick-borne diseases; allergenic mites; house dust mites; medical aca-rology; forensic acarology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Research on the distribution of ticks in recreational areas (mostly around water reservoirs, along touristic trails) in south Poland has been conducted using flagging, studying an area of 31 359 km2. Moreover, ticks were collected from 47 patients, 580 domestic animals and from 158 wild animals. A total of approximately 16 000 ticks was collected, mainly Ixodes ricinus, and occasionally Ixodes hexagonus. A total of 1150 ticks were examined regarding pathogens. The study showed that 21.42% of ticks were infected with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, 5.7% with Babesia spp. and 29,1% with Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Clinical studies of patients with borreliosis were performed, which included immunological and genetical diagnoses (i.e., IL-6, IL-4, IL-2, IL-10, TNF-R alpha, TNF-R1, TNF-R2, TGF beta 1, TGF beta-R1 and TGF beta - R2) of patients with Lyme disease. The study concerned the exploration of diagnostic therapeutic and prognostic markers of infection-induced pathology spirochetes Borrelia burgdorferi s.s., B. afzelii and B. garinii at different stages of the disease. The degree of differentiation in these individuals and the gene expression profiling of mRNA post-transcriptional modifications associated with the function of MHC known as HLA (human leukocyte antigens), genes associated with inflammation and genes encoding extracellular matrix proteins were analyzed. Transcriptomes were determined with the oligonucleotide microarray technique (Affymetrix) using HGU 133A plates, allowing for the simultaneous analysis of 22283 mRNAs. The results of immunological and clinical studies of people infected with ticks and patients with borreliosis were analyzed. This study should be combined with the act of increasing the knowledge surrounding the role of ticks in the transmission of diseases.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Solarz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ticks
  • hard ticks
  • tick-borne diseases
  • control and prevention
  • repellents

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 17295 KiB  
Article
Histopathological Aspects of the Influence of Babesia microti on the Placentas of Infected Female Rats
by Krzysztof P. Jasik, Anna Kleczka and Aleksandra Franielczyk
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11010018 - 3 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3543
Abstract
Babesiosis is perceived mainly an animal disease; however, awareness that Babesia spp. parasites that can cause diseases in humans is increasing significantly. Babesiosis is spread by the bite of an infected tick (Ixodes spp.), but it can also be transmitted by transfusion [...] Read more.
Babesiosis is perceived mainly an animal disease; however, awareness that Babesia spp. parasites that can cause diseases in humans is increasing significantly. Babesiosis is spread by the bite of an infected tick (Ixodes spp.), but it can also be transmitted by transfusion of infected blood and from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy or childbirth. The parasites multiply in the bloodstream and destroy red blood cells. This study aimed to assess the influence of Babesia microti on the histological structure of the placenta. Histopathological material collected from pregnant rats infected with Babesia microti was used in the experiment. Microscopic images of the placentas were assessed by Mallory staining and by using methylene blue-stained semi-thin sections. In addition, FISH was used to detect parasite DNA. The presence of piroplasms in both maternal and fetal vessels was demonstrated. Babesia microti infection caused vacuolization of syncytioblasts and cytotrophoblasts, accumulation of collagen fibers in placental villi, and increased adhesion of erythrocytes to the vascular walls. These results indicate that Babesia may influence the course of pregnancy and invite further research on the mechanism of piroplasm penetration into cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tick-Borne Diseases and Their Control)
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23 pages, 1692 KiB  
Article
Molecular Survey of Rickettsia raoultii in Ticks Infesting Livestock from Pakistan with Notes on Pathogen Distribution in Palearctic and Oriental Regions
by Shehla Shehla, Mashal M. Almutairi, Abdulaziz Alouffi, Tetsuya Tanaka, Shun-Chung Chang, Chien-Chin Chen and Abid Ali
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(11), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10110636 - 29 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2294
Abstract
Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit different pathogens such as Rickettsia spp. to domestic and wild animals as well as humans. Genetic characterizations of Rickettsia spp. from different regions of Pakistan are mostly based on one or two genetic markers and are confined [...] Read more.
Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit different pathogens such as Rickettsia spp. to domestic and wild animals as well as humans. Genetic characterizations of Rickettsia spp. from different regions of Pakistan are mostly based on one or two genetic markers and are confined to small sampling areas and limited host ranges. Therefore, this study aimed to molecularly screen and genetically characterize Rickettsia spp. in various tick species infesting camels, sheep, and goats. All the collected tick specimens were morphologically identified, and randomly selected tick species (148) were screened molecularly for the detection of Rickettsia spp. by amplifying three rickettsial DNA fragments, namely, the citrate-synthase gene (gltA), outer-membrane protein A (ompA), and outer-membrane protein B (ompB). After examining 261 hosts, 161 (61.7%) hosts were found infested by 564 ticks, including 287 (50.9%) nymphs, 171 (30.3%) females, and 106 (18.8%) males in five districts (Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Lower Dir, Bajaur, and Mansehra). The highest occurrence was noted for Hyalomma dromedarii (number = 72, 12.8%), followed by Haemaphysalis sulcata (n = 70, 12.4%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (n = 64, 11.3%), Rhipicephalus microplus (n = 55, 9.7%), Haemaphysalis cornupunctata (n = 49, 8.7%), Hyalomma turanicum (n = 48, 8.5%), Hyalomma isaaci (n = 45, 8.0%), Haemaphysalis montgomeryi (n = 44, 7.8%), Hyalomma anatolicum (n = 42, 7.5%), Haemaphysalis bispinosa (n = 38, 6.7%), and Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (n = 37, 6.6%). A subset of 148 ticks were tested, in which eight (5.4%) ticks, including four Hy. turanicum, two Ha. cornupunctata, one Ha. montgomeryi, and one Ha. bispinosa, were found positive for Rickettsia sp. The gltA, ompA, and ompB sequences revealed 100% identity and were phylogenetically clustered with Rickettsia raoultii reported in China, Russia, USA, Turkey, Denmark, Austria, Italy, and France. Additionally, various reports on R. raoultii from Palearctic and Oriental regions were summarized in this study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report regarding genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of R. raoultii from Pakistan. Further studies to investigate the association between Rickettsia spp. and ticks should be encouraged to apprise effective management of zoonotic consequences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tick-Borne Diseases and Their Control)
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14 pages, 7261 KiB  
Article
Histopathological Analysis of Selected Organs of Rats with Congenital Babesiosis Caused by Babesia microti
by Krzysztof Jasik, Anna Kleczka and Sandra Filipowska
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(4), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10040291 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2745
Abstract
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease with an increasing number of cases each year. Due to the non-specific symptoms of babesiosis, insightful analyses of the pathogenesis of babesiosis are still very important. Transmission of the disease occurs in a few ways, which makes laboratory [...] Read more.
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease with an increasing number of cases each year. Due to the non-specific symptoms of babesiosis, insightful analyses of the pathogenesis of babesiosis are still very important. Transmission of the disease occurs in a few ways, which makes laboratory diagnosis of piroplasmosis important. Complications associated with the infection can be tragic, especially in patients with immunological disorders. The aim of this study was the histopathological analysis of the spleen and kidney of young Wistar rats infected transplacentally with Babesia microti. Female rats were infected with a reference strain of B. microti (ATCC 30221), and then, birth 3-week-old males were euthanized with isoflurane. Subsequently, the material was collected at autopsy for microscopic and ultrastructural examination. Microscopic and ultrastructural analysis of the spleen and kidney showed degenerative changes within the organ parenchyma and the capsules surrounding the organ. Regenerative and reparative changes through mitotic divisions of parenchymal cells were also evident. Merozoites of B. microti were visible in the section of erythrocytes and the cells building the organ stroma. The results presented in this study proved the negative effects of B. microti on cells and tissues in rats with congenital babesiosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tick-Borne Diseases and Their Control)
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