Borrelia, Rickettsia, and Ehrlichia Species in Bat Ticks, France, 2010

Overview

Journal Emerg Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2012 Nov 23

PMID 23171714

Citations 53

Authors

Cristina Socolovschi

Tahar Kernif

Didier Raoult

Philippe Parola

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Argas vespertilionis, an argasid tick associated with bats and bat habitats in Europe, Africa, and Asia has been reported to bite humans; however, studies investigating the presence of vector-borne pathogens in these ticks are lacking. Using molecular tools, we tested 5 A. vespertilionis ticks collected in 2010 from the floor of a bat-infested attic in southwestern France that had been converted into bedrooms. Rickettsia sp. AvBat, a new genotype of spotted fever group rickettsiae, was detected and cultivated from 3 of the 5 ticks. A new species of the Ehrlichia canis group, Ehrlichia sp. AvBat, was also detected in 3 ticks. Four ticks were infected with Borrelia sp. CPB1, a relapsing fever agent of the Borrelia group that caused fatal borreliosis in a bat in the United Kingdom. Further studies are needed to characterize these new agents and determine if the A. vespertilionis tick is a vector and/or reservoir of these agents.

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