Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsiosis, Argentina

Rickettsia parkeri, a recently identified cause of spotted fever rickettsiosis in the United States, has been found in Amblyomma triste ticks in several countries of South America, including Argentina, where it is believed to cause disease in humans. We describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of 2 patients in Argentina with confirmed R. parkeri infection and 7 additional patients with suspected R. parkeri rickettsiosis identified at 1 hospital during 2004–2009. The frequency and character of clinical signs and symptoms among these 9 patients closely resembled those described for patients in the United States (presence of an inoculation eschar, maculopapular rash often associated with pustules or vesicles, infrequent gastrointestinal manifestations, and relatively benign clinical course). Many R. parkeri infections in South America are likely to be misdiagnosed as other infectious diseases, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, dengue, or leptospirosis.Rickettsia parkeri, a tick-borne bacterium discovered in 1937, was considered nonpathogenic until 2004. Since 2004, >25 cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis have been reported in persons living within the recognized range of the tick vector, Amblyomma maculatum, in the United States (1–4; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unpub. data). The clinical features of this newly recognized disease appear less severe than those produced by R. rickettsii bacteria, the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). For many years, investigators in several countries of South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, have recognized eschar-associated infections that clinically resemble R. parkeri rickettsiosis (5–7). These reports, and the discoveries of R. parkeri in A. triste ticks collected from these same countries, suggest that human infections with R. parkeri also occur in South America (8–10); to our knowledge, no confirmed cases of disease caused by this Rickettsia species have been reported from this continent.The Paraná Delta, situated in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos in Argentina, represents the terminus of the Paraná River as it approaches and drains into the Uruguay River and subsequently into the Río de la Plata. This alluvial ecosystem, where braided river branches create a network of islands and wetlands, covers ≈14,000 km² (5,405 mi²) and extends for ≈320 km (200 mi). This region also contains abundant populations of A. triste ticks (10). The Paraná Delta has always been a major agricultural and farming region. Recently, this area has become increasingly developed; roads have been built to allow greater access for tourism and recreational activities by many of the ≈14 million inhabitants of nearby Buenos Aires. In 2005, an eschar-associated febrile infection was diagnosed in a male beekeeper from the Paraná Delta; the infection was later confirmed as a spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiosis by serology and immunohistochemistry (5). He had been bitten by a tick not far from several sites where R. parkeri was subsequently detected in A. triste ticks (10). We report confirmed cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis in 2 patients in Argentina and describe additional suspected cases of this disease, or similar infections, in patients from the provinces of Buenos Aires, Chaco, and Entre Ríos.     

Transovarial Transmission of Babesia ovis by Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hyalomma marginatum

Background

Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hyalomma marginatum are the most common species in sheep herds in Northeast of Iran. There is preliminary evidence that these species may be the vectors of Babesia ovis in Iran. We carried out two experiments in Mashhad area, Khorasan Razavi Province to determine whether B. ovis could be transovarially transmitted by R. sanguineus and H. marginatum.

Methods

In experiment 1, adults of laboratory reared H. marginatum and R.sanguineus were infected with B. ovis isolated from naturally infected sheep in Mashhad area by feeding the ticks on the sheep inoculated intravenously by infected blood samples. The inoculated sheep showed clinical signs with parasitaemia while the adult ticks were engorging on them. The engorged females were collected and kept at 28°C and 85% relative humidity in incubator. Then, larval, nymphal and adult stages derived from engorged females were used to infest the clean sheep. In experiment 2, two splenectomized sheep were infested only with the same adult ticks of two species.

Results

Examination of smears and PCR of blood samples to detect of B. ovis in infested sheep in two experiments were negative.

Conclusion

It seems that R. sanguineus and H. marginatum can not transovarially transmit B. ovis in sheep.     

In-Vitro Assessment of the Acaricidal Properties of Artemisia annua and Zataria multiflora Essential Oils to Control Cattle Ticks

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the ‘acaricidal effect’ of Zataria multiflora and Artemisia annua essential oils on Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus.

Methods

This study was carried out in 2009 in the Laboratory of Parasitology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Shahrekord University, west central Iran. Six dilutions (5, 10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 µL/cm³) of both essential oils were used against engorged female R. (Boophilus) annulatus ticks using an in vitro immersion method. The mortality rates for each treatment were recorded 6, 15 and 24 hours post inoculation (hpi). Mortality rate was analyzed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance, and comparison of means was carried out using General Linear Models Procedure.

Results

The mortality rate caused by different dilutions of Z. multiflora essential oil ranged from 26.6% (using 10 µL/cm³) to 100% (using 40 µL/cm³) and for A. annua essential oil it was 33.2 to 100% (using 20 and 80 µL/cm³, respectively) by the end of the experiment (36 hpi). No mortality was recorded for the non-treated control group or for dilutions less than 5 and 10 µL/cm³ using Zataria and Artemisia essential oils, respectively. For Z. multiflora mortality peaked at 15 hpi for all concentrations other than 20 µL/cm³ and took 24 h to achieve its maximum effect while for A. annua the two highest concentrations needed 24 hpi to reach their full effect. In addition, essential oils applied at more than 20 and 60 µL/cm³ caused 100% egg-laying failure in engorged female ticks by Zataria and Artemisia, respectively while no failure was observed for the non-treated control group. The mortality rate in both botanical acaricides was dose-dependent.

Conclusion

Both these medicinal plants have high potential acaricidal effects on the engorged stage of R. (Boophilus) annulatus in vitro.     

Active and Passive Surveillance and Phylogenetic Analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi Elucidate the Process of Lyme Disease Risk Emergence in Canada

Background

Northward expansion of the tick Ixodes scapularis is driving Lyme disease (LD) emergence in Canada. Information on mechanisms involved is needed to enhance surveillance and identify where LD risk is emerging.

Objectives

We used passive and active surveillance and phylogeographic analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi to investigate LD risk emergence in Quebec.

Methods

In active surveillance, we collected ticks from the environment and from captured rodents. B. burgdorferi transmission was detected by serological analysis of rodents and by polymerase chain reaction assays of ticks. Spatiotemporal trends in passive surveillance data assisted interpretation of active surveillance. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of B. burgdorferi in ticks identified likely source locations of B. burgdorferi.

Results

In active surveillance, we found I. scapularis at 55% of sites, and we were more likely to find them at sites with a warmer climate. B. burgdorferi was identified at 13 I. scapularis–positive sites, but infection prevalence in ticks and animal hosts was low. Low infection prevalence in ticks submitted in passive surveillance after 2004—from the tick-positive regions identified in active surveillance—coincided with an exponential increase in tick submissions during this time. MLST analysis suggested recent introduction of B. burgdorferi from the northeastern United States.

Conclusions

These data are consistent with I. scapularis ticks dispersed from the United States by migratory birds, founding populations where the climate is warmest, and then establishment of B. burgdorferi from the United States several years after I. scapularis have established. These observations provide vital information for public health to minimize the impact of LD in Canada.     

Potential for Tick-borne Bartonelloses

As worldwide vectors of human infectious diseases, ticks are considered to be second only to mosquitoes. Each tick species has preferred environmental conditions and biotopes that determine its geographic distribution, the pathogens it vectors, and the areas that pose risk for tick-borne diseases. Researchers have identified an increasing number of bacterial pathogens that are transmitted by ticks, including Anaplasma, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia spp. Recent reports involving humans and canines suggest that ticks should be considered as potential vectors of Bartonella spp. To strengthen this suggestion, numerous molecular surveys to detect Bartonella DNA in ticks have been conducted. However, there is little evidence that Bartonella spp. can replicate within ticks and no definitive evidence of transmission by a tick to a vertebrate host.     

Parasitic Infection of an Endemic Fish (Blicca bjoerkna) and an Exotic Fish (Hemiculter beucisculus) In Anzali Lagoon,Caspian Sea,Iran

Background

In Anzali Lagoon, there are some endemic and exotic fishes. The present study was conducted to compare the parasitic fauna of Blicca bjeorkna, as an endemic fish and Hemiculter leucisculus, as an introduced fish to the lagoon.

Methods

A parasitological investigation was done on 78 specimens of B. bjoerkna and 114 of H. leucisculus. The fishes were collected from August 2009 to April 2010 by the electro fishing from Anzali Lagoon.

Results

Eleven parasites species were found in 192 fish samples. The prevalence and mean intensity of parasites in each host were as follows: Parasites from B. bjorkna were Trichodina perforata (53.85%); Myxobolus musayevi (27.19%, 1±0.79); Dactylogyrus difformis (88.05%, 8±7.24) and D. sphyrna (5.18%, 0.95±0.51), Diplostomum spataceum (98.72%, 9.51±9.01), Posthodiplostomum cuticula (15.38%, 4.25±2.5), Ripidocotyle sp. (1.28%, 2±0.74); Contracaecum osculatum (17.95%, 1.64±0.79), Philometra rischta (12.8%, 1.4±0.54), and Raphidascaris acus (1.04%, 0.03±0.26). The H. leucisculus were infected with T. perforata (27.19%), D. spataceum (7.89%, 1.33±0.54), Ps. tomentosa (7.02%, 1.62±0.49) and R. acus (0.88%, 3±0.28). B. bjoerkna was presented as a new host for M. musayevi and C. osculatum, while H. leucisculus was introduced as a new host for T. perforata and Ps. tomentosa.

Conclusion

The prevalence of parasites was significantly more in native fish than that of exotic fish (P<0.05). This reduction in parasitic infection in H. leucisculus may be due to its immune system resistance, well adaptation to the new environment, host-specific limitation for endemic parasites and disability of introduced parasite to complete its life cycle in the new host as well.     

Effects of maté tea intake on ex vivo LDL peroxidation induced by three different pathways

Yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis) is a native South America plant widely consumed as different beverages. Yerba maté leaves contains high concentrations of polyphenols that are responsible for its high in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity. The in vivo antioxidant properties vis a vis LDL particles has not yet been studied for maté tea, the roasted yerba maté product. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of maté tea ingestion ex vivo on human LDL. Fasting peripheral venous blood samples of healthy women were taken in three different times: before drinking the tea, one hour later and after one week (7 days) of daily consumption of maté tea. The isolated LDL was oxidized by three different pathways [copper (CuSO₄), lipoxygenase and peroxynitrite (SIN-1)]. Conjugated dienes and structural modifications on LDL were evaluated. Ingestion of maté tea increased LDL resistance towards ex vivo copper oxidation, but did not alter the peroxidation pattern when SIN-1 or lipoxygenase were used as oxidants     

Two Anaplasma phagocytophilum Strains in Ixodes scapularis Ticks,Canada

We developed PCR-based assays to distinguish a human pathogenic strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ap-ha, from Ap-variant 1, a strain not associated with human infection. The assays were validated on A. phagocytophilum-infected blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) collected in Canada. The relative prevalence of these 2 strains in I. scapularis ticks differed among geographic regions.     

Human Babesiosis,Maine, USA, 1995–2011

We observed an increase in the ratio of pathogenic Babesia microti to B. odocoilei in adult Ixodes scapularis ticks in Maine. Risk for babesiosis was associated with adult tick abundance, Borrelia burgdorferi infection prevalence, and Lyme disease incidence. Our findings may help track risk and increase the focus on blood supply screening.     

Autochthonous Lyme Borreliosis in Humans and Ticks in Korea

ObjectiveThis study aimed at finding epidemiological and clinical features of autochthonous Lyme borreliosis in humans through epidemiological investigations and identifying its vectors and pathogens through analysis of ticks.MethodEpidemiological investigations, including review of the retrospective medical records and patient interviews, were conducted in two cases that occurred in 2012. To identify the vectors and pathogens, ticks were collected between September 23 and October 6, 2012 from the area where the tick bite in the first patient occurred. The ticks were classified, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and cultures were performed.ResultsThe first patient, a 46-year-old female, visited a forest in Gangwon province, which was 900 m above sea level, where the tick bite occurred. Two weeks after the tick bite, erythema migrans (12 × 6 cm² in size) appeared on the site of tick bite, along with fever, chill, fatigue, myalgia, and arthralgia on shoulders, knees, and hips. The second patient, a 44-year-old male, visited a mountain in Gangwon province, which was 1200 m above sea level, where a tick bite occurred. One month after the tick bite, erythema migrans appeared at the site of the tick bite, along with fatigue, myalgia, and arthralgia on the right shoulder and temporomandibular joint. Indirect fluorescent antibody testing and Western blotting were carried out in these two cases for diagnosis, and positive findings were obtained. As a result, Lyme borreliosis could be confirmed. To estimate the pathogens and vectors, the ticks were collected. A total of 122 ticks were collected and only two species, Haemaphysalis japonica and Haemaphysalis flava, were identified. PCR and culture were performed on ticks. However, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was not isolated from any collected ticks.ConclusionsThis study is significant to confirm Lyme borreliosis officially at first by the national surveillance system, although identification of the mites and pathogens failed.     

Candidatus Coxiella massiliensis Infection

Bacteria genetically related to Coxiella burnetii have been found in ticks. Using molecular techniques, we detected Coxiella-like bacteria, here named Candidatus Coxiella massiliensis, in skin biopsy samples and ticks removed from patients with an eschar. This organism may be a common agent of scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite.     

Pilot-scale production and viability analysis of freeze-dried probiotic bacteria using different protective agents

The functional food industry requires an improvement of probiotic strain stability during storage, especially when they are stored at room temperature. In this study, the viability of freeze-dried Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501^® and Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502^® using different protective agents (i.e., glycerine, mannitol, sorbitol, inulin, dextrin, Crystalean^®) was determined and compared with semi skimmed milk (SSM) control. No significant differences were observed between the tested protectants and the control (SSM) during storage at refrigerated conditions. During storage at room temperature, only glycerine was found to stabilize viability better than other tested substances.     

Efficacy of Hyalomma scupense (Hd86) antigen against Hyalomma excavatum and H. scupense tick infestations in cattle

The Rhipicephalus microplus recombinant Bm86-based tick vaccines have shown their efficacy for the control of several Hyalomma cattle ticks genera, namely H. dromedarii and H. anatolicum. However, H. scupense species, the most important tick in North Africa has never been studied. Vaccination trials using either a recombinant Bm86-based vaccine or a recombinant Hd86-based vaccine (the Bm86 ortholog in H. scupense) were conducted in cattle against immature and adult H. scupense ticks and adult H. excavatum ticks. The results showed a 59.19% reduction in the number of scupense nymphs engorging on Hd86 vaccinated cattle. However, cattle vaccination with Bm86 or Hd86 did not have an effect on H. scupense or H. excavatum adult ticks infestations. These results showed that Hd86 vaccines are selectively effective against H. scupense immature instars and emphasize on an integrated anti-tick vaccine control in North Africa.     

Duck Liver–associated Outbreak of Campylobacteriosis among Humans,United Kingdom, 2011

Campylobacter­ spp.–related gastroenteritis in diners at a catering college restaurant was associated with consumption of duck liver pâté. Population genetic analysis indicated that isolates from duck samples were typical of isolates from farmed poultry. Campylobacter spp. contamination of duck liver may present a hazard similar to the increasingly recognized contamination of chicken liver.     

Optimized mixture of hops rho iso-alpha acids-rich extract and acacia proanthocyanidins-rich extract reduces insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and improves glucose and insulin control in db/db mice

Rho iso-alpha acids-rich extract (RIAA) from Humulus lupulus (hops) and proanthocyanidins-rich extracts (PAC) from Acacia nilotica exert anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activity in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that a combination of these two extracts would exert enhanced effects in vitro on inflammatory markers and insulin signaling, and on nonfasting glucose and insulin in db/db mice. Over 49 tested combinations, RIAA:PAC at 5:1 (6.25 µg/mL) exhibited the greatest reductions in TNFα-stimulated lipolysis and IL-6 release in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, comparable to 5 µg/mL troglitazone. Pretreatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with this combination (5 µg/mL) also led to a 3-fold increase in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake that was comparable to 5 µg/mL pioglitazone or 901 µg/mL aspirin. Finally, db/db mice fed with RIAA:PAC at 5:1 (100 mg/kg) for 7 days resulted in 22% decrease in nonfasting glucose and 19% decrease in insulin that was comparable to 0.5 mg/kg rosiglitazone and better than 100 mg/kg metformin. RIAA:PAC mixture may have the potential to be an alternative when conventional therapy is undesirable or ineffective, and future research exploring its long-term clinical application is warranted.     

Elevated Toxoplasma gondii Infection Rates for Retinas from Eye Banks,Southern Brazil

We found significantly higher incidence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in eye bank specimens from Joinville in southern Brazil (13/15, 87%) than in São Paulo (3/42, 7%; p = 2.1 × 10E–8). PCR DNA sequence analysis was more sensitive at locus NTS2 than at locus B1; a high frequency of mixed co-infections was detected.     

P.R4810K, a polymorphism of RNF213, the susceptibility gene for moyamoya disease, is associated with blood pressure

Background

Moyamoya disease—an idiopathic vascular disorder of intracranial arteries—is often accompanied by hypertension. RNF213 has been identified as a susceptibility gene for moyamoya disease. In the present study, the association of p.R4810K (G>A) with blood pressure (BP) was investigated in a Japanese population.

Methodology/principal findings

Three independent study populations, the Nyukawa (n = 984), Noshiro (n = 2,443) and Field (n = 881) studies, joined this study. BP, body weight and height were measured. Past and present symptoms and disease and medication histories were assessed by interview. Associations of p.R4810K (rs112735431, ss179362673) of RNF213 with BP were investigated. Two linkage disequilibrium blocks were constructed for moyamoya patients with p.R4810K (n = 140) and the general population (n = 384) using 39 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning 390 kb around RNF213. A total of 60 carriers (3 for AA genotype and 57 for GA genotype) were found in these samples, and the minor allele frequencies were 1.4 % in the Nyukawa and Field studies and 0.2 % in the Noshiro study. Regression analyses adjusted for age, sex and body mass index based on an additive model demonstrated significant associations with systolic BP (mmHg/allele): β (standard error) was 8.2 (2.9) in the Nyukawa study (P = 4.7 × 10⁻³), 18.7 (5.4) in the Noshiro study (P = 4.6 × 10⁻⁴) and 8.9 (2.0) (P = 1.0 × 10⁻⁵) in the three populations. In contrast, diastolic BP showed significant associations only in the Noshiro study. Linkage disequilibrium blocks contained none of the BP-associated proxy SNPs reported by previous studies.

Conclusions/significance

Our study suggests that p.R4810K of RNF213 is associated strongly with systolic BP.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12199-012-0299-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Rickettsia slovaca Infection in Humans,Portugal

Fifteen years after the initial detection of Rickettsia slovaca in ticks in Portugal, 3 autochthonous cases of R. slovaca infection were diagnosed in humans. All patients had an eschar on the scalp and lymphadenopathy; 2 patients had facial edema. R. slovaca infection was confirmed by serologic testing, culture, and PCR.     

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Saururus chinensis Baill in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Saururus chinensis Baill was reported to inhibit α-glucosidase in vitro and flatten postprandial increase in blood glucose in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. We studied the effect of chronic consumption of S. chinensis Baill on blood glucose and lipid profile in STZ-induced diabetic male rats fed high fat diet. Male rats weighing 100-120 g were fed 30% fat diet with and without 10% freeze-dried leaves of S. chinensis Baill for 7 weeks after 1 week of adaptation. The rats were rendered diabetic by intravenous injection of STZ (60 mg/kg) after 6-week feeding of the assigned diets. At 1 week after the injection, the rats were sacrificed after an overnight fast. Plasma glucose (380.2 ± 14.4 mg/dL), total cholesterol (93.9 ± 7.9 mg/dL) and triglyceride levels (123.6 ± 7.5 mg/dL) of the S. chinensis Baill group were significantly lower than those of the control group (418.1 ± 12.0 mg/dL, 119.9 ± 9.4 mg/dL, 152.0 ± 10.3 mg/dL, respectively, p<0.05). Chronic consumption of S. chinesis Baill significantly decreased maltase activity of the small intestinal mucosa (120.1 ± 8.7 U/g protein) compared with the control group (96.8 ± 7.0 U/g protein, p<0.05). These results suggest that S. chinensis Baill have hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects by inhibiting α-glucosidase activity in the animal model of diabetes mellitus.     

A Preliminary Parasitological Survey of Hepatozoon Spp. Infection in Dogs in Mashhad,Iran

Background

We attempted to determine the prevalence of Hepatozoon spp. infection in Mashhad, northeast of Iran, via blood smear parasitology.

Methods

The prevalence was investigated by examination of blood smear parasitology, using blood samples collected from 254 dogs (51 strays and 203 privately owned-dogs).

Results

Two stray dogs (2/51; 3.92%) and two privately-owned dogs (2/203; 0.98%) were infected with Hepatozoon spp. Therefore, as per blood smear parasitology, the prevalence of Hepatozoon spp. infection was 1.57% (4/254). Sixteen out of 254 dogs (6.29%) were infested with ticks; all of which were Rhipicephalus sanguineus. One of the dogs infected with Hepatozoon spp. exhibited ticks at the time of examination. Concurrent infection with Ehrlichia canis and Leishmania infantum was not detected in the four Hepatozoon spp. infected dogs.

Conclusion

This is the first epidemiological study on the prevalence of Hepatozoon spp. infection in dogs in Iran.