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A molecular survey of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria in ticks collected from southeastern China

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Abstract

To investigate the prevalence of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria, we collected ticks from small mammals in six counties of Zhejiang Province in southeastern China. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed to test Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria in tick samples. Positive PCR products were sequenced and then compared with previously published sequences deposited in GenBank using BLAST. About 292 adult ticks were captured and the dominant tick species were Ixodes sinensis and Haemaphysalis longicornis. Overall, 34 ticks (11.6%) were tested positive for at least one pathogen of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria. Rates of PCR-positivity to Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria were 5.5, 1.7, 2.4 and 2.4%, respectively. Positive rates of Anaplasma, Bartonella and Theileria were significantly different among ticks of different species. Prevalence of Anaplasma and Theileria varied significantly among ticks of different counties. Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria were widely prevalent in ticks in Zhejiang Province suggesting other tick-borne pathogens should also be suspected if patients had history of tick bites.

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Funding

This study was supported by National Natural Science Funds of China (Grant No. 81872675), Medical Research Program of Zhejiang Province (Grant Nos. 2017KY291, 2018KY338) and the State Project for Scientific & Technological Development of the 13th Five-year Plan in China (Grant No. 2017ZX10303404008002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China

    Juan Hou, Feng Ling, Ying Liu, Rong Zhang, Yuyan Wu, Jinna Wang, Jimin Sun & Zhenyu Gong

  2. State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    Xiuping Song

  3. Fengtai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    Ruting Huang

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  1. Juan Hou
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  2. Feng Ling
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  3. Ying Liu
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  4. Rong Zhang
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  5. Xiuping Song
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  6. Ruting Huang
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  7. Yuyan Wu
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  9. Jimin Sun
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  10. Zhenyu Gong
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Correspondence to Jimin Sun or Zhenyu Gong.

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Hou, J., Ling, F., Liu, Y. et al. A molecular survey of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Theileria in ticks collected from southeastern China. Exp Appl Acarol 79, 125–135 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-019-00411-2

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