Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

First detections of Rickettsia helvetica and R. monacensis in ectoparasitic mites (Laelapidae and Trombiculidae) infesting rodents in south-western Slovakia

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Parasitology Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Information on circulation of rickettsiae between small mammals and their ectoparasitic mites is scarce. In this study, we investigated infestation rates of rodents with mites in some areas of SW Slovakia and the role of mites as possible vectors of pathogenic rickettsiae. A total of 615 rodents of five species were caught during 2010–2012. All individuals were examined for ectoparasites which resulted in 2821 mites belonging to three species of Laelapidae and six species of Trombiculidae. The most common Laelapidae species was Laelaps agilis (81.25 %), followed by Haemogamasus nidi, and Eulaelaps stabularis. Hirsutiella zachvatkini (16.52 %) was the dominant species of the family Trombiculidae. DNA extracted from rodent blood and ectoparasitic mites was examined for the presence of rickettsiae by PCR. By pooling mites, 345 pool samples were created, of which 112 (32.46 %) were found to be positive for the rickettsial DNA. From 487 examined rodent blood samples, rickettsial DNA was found in 46 (9.44 %). Sequencing DNA from the positive blood samples and mites revealed the identity of Rickettsia helvetica and Rickettsia monacensis. The results of the study suggest that ectoparasitic mites may be reservoirs as well as vectors of some pathogenic rickettsiae.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ambros M (1984) Fauna roztočov (Acari: Mesostigmata) drobných cicavcov Záhorskej nížiny a Malých Karpát. Acta Rer Natur Mus Nat Slov Bratislava 30:87–101

  • Ambros M (1990) Fauna roztočov (Acari: Mesostigmata) z drobných cicavcov chránenej krajinnej oblasti Ponitrie. 1. časť: Tribeč. Rosalia (Nitra) 6:229–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambros M, Kalúz S (1985) Príspevok k poznaniu ektoparazitov drobných cicavcov so zreteľom na parazitické roztoče čeľ. Dermanyssoidea (Acari: Mesostigmata). In: Feriancová-Masárová Z, Halgoš J (ed) Zoonózy urbánnych a suburbánnych celkov so zvláštnym zreteľom na podmienky Bratislavy, Slovenská Zoologická Spoločnosť pri SAV, pp 198-202

  • Ambros M, Kalúz S (1987) Roztoče (Mesostigmata) – ektoparazity drobných cicavcov z územia Bratislavy. Acta Rer Natur Mus Nat Slov Bratislava 33:119–128

  • Anděra M, Horáček I (2005) Poznávame naše savce. Sobotáles, Praha

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgdorfer W, Brinton LP (1975) Mechanisms of transovarial infection of spotted fever ricekttsiae in ticks. Ann N Y Acad Sci 266:61–72

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burgdorfer W, Varma MGR (1967) Trans-stadial and transovarial development of disease agents in arthropods. Ann Rev Entomol 12:347–376

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo XG, Speakman JR, Dong WG, Men XY, Qian TJ, Wu D, Qin F, Song WY (2013) Ectoparasitic insects and mites on Yunnan red-backed voles (Eothenomys miletus) froma localized area in southwest China. Parasitol Res 112:3543–3549

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karg W (1971) Die freilebenden Gamasina (Gamasides), Raubmilben. In: Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und angrenzende Meeresteile, Teil 59, Fischer Verlag, Jena

  • Karg W (1993) Acari (Acarina), Milben Parasitiformes (Anactinochaeta) Cohors Gamasina Leach Raubmilben. In: Die Tierwelt Deutschlands, Teil 59, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena, Stuttgart, New York

  • Kocianová E (1989) Gnezdovye ektoparasity (gamazovye kleshchi) kak perenoschiky rikketsij v eksperimente. Rikketsiozy. Sbornik Nauchnykh Trudov, Leningrad 66:89–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Kocianová E (1993) Can the gamasid mites participate in the circulation of some pathogen agens in the nature? Správy Slov Zool Spol 15:55–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Kocianová E, Kožuch O, Bakoss P, Řeháček J, Kováčová E (1993) The prevalence of small terrestrial mammals infected with tick- borne encephalitis virus and leptospirae in the foothills of the southern Bavarian forest, Germany. Appl Parasitol 34:283–290

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kocianová E, Kožuch O (1988) A contribution to the parasite fauna in winter nests of the common mole (Talpa europea L.) and incidence of its infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus TBE and rickettsia Coxiella burnetii. Folia Parasitol 35:175–180

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kudryashova NI (1998) Kleshchi krasnotelki (Acariformes, Trombiculidae) vostochnoi Palearktiki [Chigger mites (Acariformes, Trombiculidae) of East Palearctics]. Issledovania po faune, KMK Scientific Press Ltd, Moscow

    Google Scholar 

  • Lysý J, Nosek J, Výrosteková V, Kováčik J (1979) Isolation of Francisella tularensis from mites Haemogamasus nidi and Laelaps hilaris in western Slovakia. Zentralblatt fur Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene A 244(2/3):324–326

  • Mašán P, Fenďa P (2010) A review of the laelapid mites associated with terrestrial mammals in Slovakia, with a key to the European species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Dermanyssoidea). Institue of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava

    Google Scholar 

  • Michalko J, Berta J, Magir D (1986) Geobotanická mapa ČSSR. Vydavateľstvo SAV, Bratislava

    Google Scholar 

  • Mrciak M (1958) Roztoče z radu Parasitiformes (Acari) z drobných cicavcov Vysokých Tatier. Zologické Listy 7:65–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Mrciak M, Rosický B (1959) K fauně roztočů řádu čmelíkovců (Parasitiformes) z území ČSR. Zoologické Listy 2:143–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Parola P, Paddock CD, Socolovschi C, Labruna MB, Mediannikov O, Kernif T, Abdad MY, Stenos J, Bitman I, Fournier PE, Raoult D (2013) Update on tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: a geographic approach. Clin Microbiol Rev 26(4):657–702

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Prakash JAJ, Lal TS, Rosemol V, Verghese VP, Pulimood SA, Reller M, Dumler JS (2012) Molecular detection and analysis of spotted fever group Rickettsia in patients with fever and rash at a tertiary care centre in Tamil Nadu, India. Pathog Glob Health 106(1):40–45

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raoult D, Fournier P-E, Eremeeva M, Graves S, Kelly PJ, Otteo JA, Sekeyová Z, Tamura A, Tarasevich I, Zhang L (2005) Naming of rickettsiae and rickettsial diseases. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1063:1–12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raoult D, Roux V (1997) Rickettsioses as paradigms of new or emerging infectious diseases. Clin Microbiol Rev 10:694–719

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radovsky FJ (1985) Evolution of mammalian mesostigmate mites. In: Kim KC (ed) Coevolution of parasitic arthropods and mammals. Wiley-Interscience, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeves WK, Dowling APG, Dasch AGA (2006) Rickettsial agents from parasitic Dermanyssoidea (Acari: Mesostigmata). Exp Appl Acarol 38:181–188

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rynkiewicz EC, Hawlena H, Durden LA, Hastriter MW, Demas GE, Clay K (2013) Associations between innate immune function and ectoparasites in wild rodent hosts. Parasitol Res 112:1763–1770

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosický B (1979) Roztoči a klíšťata škodící zdraví člověka. Academia, Praha

    Google Scholar 

  • Sekeyová Z, Socolovschi C, Špitalská E, Kocianová E, Boldiš V, Quevedo Diaz M, Berthová L, Bohácsová M, Valáriková J, Fournier PE, Raoult D (2013) Update on Rickettsioses in Slovakia. Acta Virol 57:180–199

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sládek J, Mošanský A (1985) Cicavce okolo nás. Osveta, Martin

  • Stanko M (1989) Príspevok k poznaniu fauny roztočov (Acarina, Mesostigmata) drobných cicavcov severnej časti Krupinskej planiny. Acta Fac Rer Nat Univ Comen Zool 6:436–530

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Authors thank all who helped in molecular methods and participated in the field work, namely Dr. Jana Melničáková, Dr. Eva Špitalská, Renáta Szalayová, Dr. Mirko Slovák, Zuzana Svitálková and Lenka Mahríková. The authors also thank Dr. Ľubomír Vidlička and Dr. Ladislav Roller for preparing photomicrographs. The work was supported by a grant from the Slovak Grant Agency, VEGA 2/0142/10 and grant of the Slovak Research and Development Agency APVV DO7RP–0014–11. The study was partly funded by EU grant FP7-261504 EDENext and is catalogued by the EDENext Steering Committee as EDENext328 (http://www.edenext.eu). The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Conflict of interest

No competing financial interest exist. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

The experiments presented in this paper comply with current laws of the Slovak Republic. Rodent trapping and handling were approved by the Regional Environmental Office in Bratislava (licences ZPO-594/2012-SAB and ZPO-949/2010-SAB).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Katarína Miťková, Stanislav Kalúz & Mária Kazimírová

  2. Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 05, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Lenka Berthová, Lenka Burdová & Elena Kocianová

Authors
  1. Katarína Miťková
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lenka Berthová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stanislav Kalúz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mária Kazimírová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lenka Burdová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Elena Kocianová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena Kocianová.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Miťková, K., Berthová, L., Kalúz, S. et al. First detections of Rickettsia helvetica and R. monacensis in ectoparasitic mites (Laelapidae and Trombiculidae) infesting rodents in south-western Slovakia. Parasitol Res 114, 2465–2472 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4443-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4443-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation