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Coxiellaceae in Ticks from Human, Domestic and Wild Hosts from Sardinia, Italy: High Diversity of Coxiella-like Endosymbionts

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Abstract

Purpose

Coxiella burnetii is known for its potential as veterinary and human bacterial pathogen. The bacteria have been described in ticks, but their role in transmission of Q fever in humans is considered low. Coxiella endosymbionts closely related to C. burnetii have been also isolated from an extensive range of tick species and evidence is growing that these endosymbionts could be linked to human bacteremia. The aim of this study was to get new information on the presence of Coxiella species in ticks infesting wild and domestic hosts in Sardinia, Italy.

Methods

Here, 138 ticks collected from the study area were analyzed for the presence of C. burnetii and Coxiella-like bacteria by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing and philogenetic analyses using a set of primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene.

Results

DNA of Coxiella species was detected in 69% of the total ticks examined. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the 16S rRNA Coxiella genotypes identified in this study grouped in strongly supported monophyletic clades with identified reference sequences of CLEs detected from Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis and Ornithodoros species and with Coxiella burnetii strains isolated worldwide.

Conclusion

This study reports the molecular detection of a high diversity of Coxiella-like bacteria in Sardinian ticks and confirms also the presence of C. burnetii in tick species previously identified in the island. The role that Coxiella-like endosymbionts play in Sardinian ticks and in their vertebrate hosts needs to be explored further.

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  1. Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Via Duca degli Abruzzi, 8, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Valentina Chisu, Lorena Mura, Cipriano Foxi & Giovanna Masala

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  1. Valentina Chisu
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Correspondence to Valentina Chisu.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animal were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving human participant were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national ethic committee. A written informed consent was obtained from patients at the time of hospitalization. The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sardinia was authorized by the ethics committee of the Local Health Authority of Sassari (Comitato di Bioetica, ASL N. 1, Sassari) Prot N. 1136, to analyze human sera following the request of the National Health Service doctors, since 03/26/2013.

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Chisu, V., Mura, L., Foxi, C. et al. Coxiellaceae in Ticks from Human, Domestic and Wild Hosts from Sardinia, Italy: High Diversity of Coxiella-like Endosymbionts. Acta Parasit. 66, 654–663 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-020-00324-w

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