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Evidence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia helvetica infection in free-ranging ungulates in central Slovakia

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of wild animals for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, other ehrlichiae/anaplasmae, Rickettsia helvetica and other rickettsiae and whether different genetic variants of A. phagocytophilum in central Slovakia exist. A total of 109 spleen samples from 49 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 30 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 28 wild boar (Sus scrofa) and two mouflon (Ovis musimon) were collected from June 2005 to December 2006. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the16S rRNA gene was used for detection of ehrlichiae/anaplasmae. A nested PCR targeting part (392 bp) of groESL gene was applied for the specific detection of A. phagocytophilum. Fragments of the gltA and ompA genes (381 bp and 632 bp, respectively) were amplified to detect rickettsiae, followed by sequencing. A. phagocytophilum and R. helvetica were detected in wild animals. The prevalence of A. phagocytophilum was 50.0 ± 18.2% in roe deer and 53.1 ± 14.1% in red deer. None of the 28 wild boar was PCR positive for ehrlichiae/anaplasmae. A. phagocytophilum was detected in one mouflon. R. helvetica was found in one roe deer. Our study suggests a role of cervids as a natural reservoir of A. phagocytophilum in Slovakia. However, the role of cervids and wild boars in the circulation of R. helvetica remains unknown. The analysis of sequence variation in the msp4 coding region of A. phagocytophilum showed the presence of different variants previously described in ruminants.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grant No 2/7020 from the Scientific Grant Agency of Ministry of Education of Slovak Republic and Slovak Academy of Sciences, by the project APVV-51-009205 from Slovak Research and Development Agency and by the research plan MSM 0021622412 from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czech Republic.

Authors would like to acknowledge MV Dr. Viera Becovska from the Regional Veterinary and Food Administration and Ing. Jozef Zimmermann from the Forests of the Slovakia (state enterprise, branch Zarnovica) for organizing the collection of samples. We are grateful to Dr. Olivier Sparagano, Newcastle University, UK and Dr. Marketa Derdakova, Slovak Academy of Sciences for reviewing the manuscript and contributing numerous useful suggestions and to Renata Szalayova for technical support.

The experiments presented in this paper comply with the current laws in Slovakia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Katarina Stefanidesova, Elena Kocianova, Vojtech Boldis & Eva Spitalska

  2. Regional Office of Public Health in Ziar nad Hronom, Sladkovicova 484/9, 965 24, Ziar nad Hronom, Slovakia

    Zina Kostanova

  3. Regional Veterinary and Food Administration, SNP 612/120, 965 24, Ziar nad Hronom, Slovakia

    Pavel Kanka

  4. Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 126/3, 634 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Danka Nemethova

Authors
  1. Katarina Stefanidesova
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  2. Elena Kocianova
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  3. Vojtech Boldis
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  4. Zina Kostanova
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  5. Pavel Kanka
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  6. Danka Nemethova
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  7. Eva Spitalska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eva Spitalska.

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Communicated by C. Gortázar

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Stefanidesova, K., Kocianova, E., Boldis, V. et al. Evidence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia helvetica infection in free-ranging ungulates in central Slovakia. Eur J Wildl Res 54, 519–524 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-007-0161-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-007-0161-8

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