Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Rickettsia spp. in ticks and rodents in southern Germany
Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Rickettsia spp. in ticks and rodents in southern Germany
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DOI：
10.1016/j.ttbdis.2010.04.001
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Kimmig, Peter
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Pluta, Silvia;Hartelt, Kathrin;Kimmig, Peter
Q热的病原体伯氏柯谢氏菌和立克次体是可由革蜱属蜱（即边缘革蜱和网状革蜱）传播的细菌性病原体。在德国，这些蜱虫的出现目前仅限于少数地区。然而，由于气温升高，这些病媒可能会在未来扩大其分布范围，伯氏疏螺旋体和立克次体可能会与它们一起传播。为了评估这些病原体对人类感染的潜在风险，了解它们目前的分布是很重要的。在德国南部3个Q热流行区共捕获成年革螨666只，鼠类119只，主要为小仓鼠。采用PCR方法对蜱和啮齿动物器官池进行伯氏体和立克次体检测，未发现蜱和啮齿动物感染伯氏体的证据，提示这些动物在德国Q热流行病学中不起重要作用。检出拉乌尔氏立克次体和斯洛瓦切尔氏体的比例分别为30.3%和0.75%。相比之下，在任何啮齿动物样本中都没有发现立克次体感染。这两种立克次体都可引起蜱传淋巴结病（TIBOLA），这通常是一种轻微的人类疾病。由于这些立克次体可能传播给人类，在蜱传疾病的鉴别诊断中应考虑TIBOLA。我们的数据显示，这些立克次体可能在德国传播，有必要对这些病原体的分布进行更多的研究。(C) 2010 Elsevier GmbH版权所有。
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, and Rickettsia spp. are bacterial pathogens that can be transmitted by ticks of the genus Dermacentor (i.e., Dermacentor marginatus and D. reticulatus). In Germany, the occurrence of these ticks is currently limited to few areas. However, due to increasing temperatures, these vectors will likely extend their distribution in the future, and C. burnetii and Rickettsia spp. might spread with them. To assess the prospective risk of human infections by these agents, it is important to know their current distribution. We collected 666 adult Dermacentor spp. and 119 rodents, mainly Microtus arvalis, in 3 Q fever endemic areas in southern Germany. Ticks and rodent organ pools were screened by PCR for C. burnetii and Rickettsia spp. No evidence of C. burnetii infections could be found in ticks or rodents, suggesting that these animals do not play an essential role in the epidemiology of Q fever in Germany. Rickettsia raoultii and R. slovaca could be detected in 30.3% and 0.75% of all examined ticks, respectively. In contrast, no rickettsia infections could be found in any rodent samples. Both rickettsia species can cause tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA), a usually mild human disease. Because of the possible transmission of these rickettsiae to humans, TIBOLA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tick-borne diseases. Our data show that a spread of these rickettsiae is possible in Germany and that more studies on the distribution of these agents are necessary. (C) 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.