Occurrence of Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichia canis, Rickettsia species and Anaplasma phagocytophilum-like bacterium in ticks collected from dogs and cats in South Africa

Authors

  • Khethiwe Mtshali Tshwane University of Technology
  • Ryo Nakao Hokkaido University
  • Chihiro Sugimoto Hokkaido University
  • Oriel Thekisoe University of the Free State

Abstract

Ticks are major vectors of arthropod-borne infections and transmit a wide variety of zoonotic pathogens. This study was conducted mainly to determine the occurrence of canine tick-borne bacterial and rickettsial pathogens especially those with zoonotic potential. We examined 276 Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 38 Haemaphysalis elliptica and 4 Amblyomma hebraeum ticks from 90 dogs and 4 cats from the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Mpumalanga provinces. DNA of Coxiella burnetii (41%), Ehrlichia or Anaplasma (18%), Rickettsia spp. (37%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum-like bacterium (18%) and Ehrlichia canis (19%) was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from a total of 147 pooled DNA samples. All samples were negative for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA. Ehrlichia canis was detected in samples from all the provinces except the North West; A. phagocytophilum was absent in KwaZulu-Natal samples, whereas Rickettsia species and C. burnetii were detected in all sampled provinces. The PCRpositive samples were confirmed by direct sequencing of the product. Data from this study calls for a joint effort by both veterinary and medical sectors to conduct epidemiological studies of the zoonotic pathogens in both animals and humans.

Author Biographies

  • Khethiwe Mtshali, Tshwane University of Technology

    Department of Biomedical Sciences, Veterinary Technology Program, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa and Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, South Africa

  • Ryo Nakao, Hokkaido University

    Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Japan

  • Chihiro Sugimoto, Hokkaido University

    Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Japan

  • Oriel Thekisoe, University of the Free State

    Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, South Africa and Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, South Africa

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Published

2021-12-09

Issue

Vol. 88 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Original Research