This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow An erratum has been published
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Liz, J. S.
Right arrow Articles by Brossard, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Liz, J. S.
Right arrow Articles by Brossard, M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2000, p. 1002-1007, Vol. 38, No. 3
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

PCR Detection of Granulocytic Ehrlichiae in Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Wild Small Mammals in Western Switzerland

Jorge S. Liz,1,* Laurence Anderes,1 John W. Sumner,2 Robert F. Massung,2 Lise Gern,3 Bernard Rutti,1 and Michel Brossard1

Department of Immunology1 and Department of Parasitology,3 Institute of Zoology, University of Neuchâtel, 2007 Neuchâtel, Switzerland; and Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 303332

Received 9 August 1999/Returned for modification 11 October 1999/Accepted 8 December 1999

The presence of granulocytic ehrlichiae was demonstrated by PCR in Ixodes ricinus ticks and wild small mammals in Switzerland in two areas of endemicity for bovine ehrlichiosis. Six ticks (three females and three nymphs) (1.4%) of 417 I. ricinus ticks collected by flagging vegetation contained ehrlichial DNA. A total of 201 small mammals from five species, wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), earth vole (Pitymys subterraneus), bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), and common shrew (Sorex araneus), were trapped. The analysis of I. ricinus mammals collected on 116 small mammals showed that nine C. glareolus voles and two A. sylvaticus mice hosted infected tick larvae. In these rodents, granulocytic ehrlichia infection was also detected in blood, spleen, liver, and ear samples. Further examinations of 190 small mammals without ticks or with noninfected ticks showed the presence of ehrlichial DNA in spleen and other tissues from six additional C. glareolus, three A. flavicollis, and one S. araneus mammals. This study suggests that A. sylvaticus, A. flavicollis, S. araneus, and particularly C. glareolus are likely to be natural reservoirs for granulocytic ehrlichiae. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of granulocytic ehrlichiae from ticks and rodents showed a high degree of homology (99 to 100%) with granulocytic ehrlichiae isolated from humans. In contrast, groESL heat shock operon sequence analysis showed a strong divergence (approximately 5%) between the sequences in samples derived from rodents and those derived from samples from questing ticks or from other published ehrlichia sequences. Dual infections with granulocytic ehrlichia and Borrelia burgdorferi were found in ticks and small mammals.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Immunology, Institute of Zoology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2007 Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Phone: 41-32-7183016. Fax: 41-32-7183011. E-mail: jorge.liz{at}zool.unine.ch.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2000, p. 1002-1007, Vol. 38, No. 3
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Bown, K. J., Lambin, X., Telford, G. R., Ogden, N. H., Telfer, S., Woldehiwet, Z., Birtles, R. J. (2008). Relative Importance of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes trianguliceps as Vectors for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in Field Vole (Microtus agrestis) Populations. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 7118-7125 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Barandika, J. F., Hurtado, A., Garcia-Esteban, C., Gil, H., Escudero, R., Barral, M., Jado, I., Juste, R. A., Anda, P., Garcia-Perez, A. L. (2007). Tick-Borne Zoonotic Bacteria in Wild and Domestic Small Mammals in Northern Spain. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 6166-6171 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Foley, J. E., Nieto, N. C., Clueit, S. B., Foley, P., Nicholson, W. N., Brown, R. N. (2007). SURVEY FOR ZOONOTIC RICKETTSIAL PATHOGENS IN NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRRELS, GLAUCOMYS SABRINUS, IN CALIFORNIA. J Wildl Dis 43: 684-689 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • CAO, W.-C., ZHAN, L., HE, J., FOLEY, J. E., DE VLAS, S. J., WU, X.-M., YANG, H., RICHARDUS, JAN. H., HABBEMA, J. D. F. (2006). NATURAL ANAPLASMA PHAGOCYTOPHILUM INFECTION OF TICKS AND RODENTS FROM A FOREST AREA OF JILIN PROVINCE, CHINA.. Am J Trop Med Hyg 75: 664-668 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kawahara, M., Rikihisa, Y., Lin, Q., Isogai, E., Tahara, K., Itagaki, A., Hiramitsu, Y., Tajima, T. (2006). Novel Genetic Variants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma bovis, Anaplasma centrale, and a Novel Ehrlichia sp. in Wild Deer and Ticks on Two Major Islands in Japan. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 1102-1109 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sarih, M., M'Ghirbi, Y., Bouattour, A., Gern, L., Baranton, G., Postic, D. (2005). Detection and Identification of Ehrlichia spp. in Ticks Collected in Tunisia and Morocco. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 1127-1132 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • de la Fuente, J., Massung, R. F., Wong, S. J., Chu, F. K., Lutz, H., Meli, M., von Loewenich, F. D., Grzeszczuk, A., Torina, A., Caracappa, S., Mangold, A. J., Naranjo, V., Stuen, S., Kocan, K. M. (2005). Sequence Analysis of the msp4 Gene of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Strains. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 1309-1317 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kawahara, M., Rikihisa, Y., Isogai, E., Takahashi, M., Misumi, H., Suto, C., Shibata, S., Zhang, C., Tsuji, M. (2004). Ultrastructure and phylogenetic analysis of 'Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' in the family Anaplasmataceae, isolated from wild rats and found in Ixodes ovatus ticks. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 54: 1837-1843 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • von Loewenich, F. D., Baumgarten, B. U., Schroppel, K., Geissdorfer, W., Rollinghoff, M., Bogdan, C. (2003). High Diversity of ankA Sequences of Anaplasma phagocytophilum among Ixodes ricinus Ticks in Germany. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 5033-5040 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liz, J. S., Sumner, J. W., Pfister, K., Brossard, M. (2002). PCR Detection and Serological Evidence of Granulocytic Ehrlichial Infection in Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) and Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). J. Clin. Microbiol. 40: 892-897 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Christova, I., Schouls, L., van de Pol, I., Park, J., Panayotov, S., Lefterova, V., Kantardjiev, T., Dumler, J. S. (2001). High Prevalence of Granulocytic Ehrlichiae and Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato in Ixodes ricinus Ticks from Bulgaria. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 4172-4174 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Alekseev, A. N., Dubinina, H. V., Van De Pol, I., Schouls, L. M. (2001). Identification of Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes Ticks in the Baltic Regions of Russia. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 2237-2242 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Massung, R. F., Owens, J. H., Ross, D., Reed, K. D., Petrovec, M., Bjoersdorff, A., Coughlin, R. T., Beltz, G. A., Murphy, C. I. (2000). Sequence Analysis of the ank Gene of Granulocytic Ehrlichiae. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38: 2917-2922 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»