Tags

Type your tag names separated by a space and hit enter

Identification of potential hosts and vectors of scrub typhus and tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae in eastern Taiwan.
Med Vet Entomol. 2011 Jun; 25(2):169-77.MV

Abstract

Scrub typhus and tick-borne spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are transmitted by chiggers (larval trombiculid mites) and hard ticks, respectively. We assessed exposure to these disease vectors by extensively sampling both chiggers and ticks and their small mammal hosts in eastern Taiwan during 2007 and 2008. The striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius Pallas (Rodentia: Muridae) was the most common of the small mammals (36.1% of 1393 captures) and presented the highest rate of infestation with both chiggers (47.8% of 110 760) and ticks (78.1% of 1431). Leptotrombidium imphalum Vercammen-Grandjean & Langston (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae) and immature Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides Supino (Ixodida: Ixodidae) were the most abundant chiggers (84.5%) and ticks (>99%) identified, respectively. Immunofluorescent antibody assay revealed high seropositive rates of rodents against Orientia tsutsugamushi Hyashi (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), the aetiological agent of scrub typhus (70.0% of 437 rodents), and tick-borne SFG rickettsiae (91.9% of 418 rodents). The current study represents a first step towards elucidating the potential hosts and vectors in the enzootic transmission of O. tsutsugamushi and tick-borne SFG rickettsiae in Taiwan. Further studies should focus on characterizing pathogens in L. imphalum and R. haemaphysaloides, as well as the proclivity of both vectors to humans. Uncovering the main hosts of adult ticks is also critical for the prevention of SFG rickettsial infections.

Links

Aggregator Full Text

Authors+Show Affiliations

Kuo CC
Research and Diagnostic Centre, Centres for Disease Control, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Huang CL
No affiliation info available
Wang HC
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AnimalsAntibodies, BacterialArthropod VectorsHost-Parasite InteractionsHumansIxodidaeMuridaeOrientia tsutsugamushiPopulation DensityRickettsia conoriiRocky Mountain Spotted FeverRodent DiseasesScrub TyphusSeasonsSeroepidemiologic StudiesShrewsSpecies SpecificityTaiwanTrombiculidae

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

21223345

Citation

Kuo, C C., et al. "Identification of Potential Hosts and Vectors of Scrub Typhus and Tick-borne Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Eastern Taiwan." Medical and Veterinary Entomology, vol. 25, no. 2, 2011, pp. 169-77.
Kuo CC, Huang CL, Wang HC. Identification of potential hosts and vectors of scrub typhus and tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae in eastern Taiwan. Med Vet Entomol. 2011;25(2):169-77.
Kuo, C. C., Huang, C. L., & Wang, H. C. (2011). Identification of potential hosts and vectors of scrub typhus and tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae in eastern Taiwan. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 25(2), 169-77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2010.00941.x
Kuo CC, Huang CL, Wang HC. Identification of Potential Hosts and Vectors of Scrub Typhus and Tick-borne Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Eastern Taiwan. Med Vet Entomol. 2011;25(2):169-77. PubMed PMID: 21223345.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Identification of potential hosts and vectors of scrub typhus and tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsiae in eastern Taiwan. AU - Kuo,C C, AU - Huang,C L, AU - Wang,H C, Y1 - 2011/01/12/ PY - 2011/1/13/entrez PY - 2011/1/13/pubmed PY - 2011/8/30/medline SP - 169 EP - 77 JF - Medical and veterinary entomology JO - Med Vet Entomol VL - 25 IS - 2 N2 - Scrub typhus and tick-borne spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are transmitted by chiggers (larval trombiculid mites) and hard ticks, respectively. We assessed exposure to these disease vectors by extensively sampling both chiggers and ticks and their small mammal hosts in eastern Taiwan during 2007 and 2008. The striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius Pallas (Rodentia: Muridae) was the most common of the small mammals (36.1% of 1393 captures) and presented the highest rate of infestation with both chiggers (47.8% of 110 760) and ticks (78.1% of 1431). Leptotrombidium imphalum Vercammen-Grandjean & Langston (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae) and immature Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides Supino (Ixodida: Ixodidae) were the most abundant chiggers (84.5%) and ticks (>99%) identified, respectively. Immunofluorescent antibody assay revealed high seropositive rates of rodents against Orientia tsutsugamushi Hyashi (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), the aetiological agent of scrub typhus (70.0% of 437 rodents), and tick-borne SFG rickettsiae (91.9% of 418 rodents). The current study represents a first step towards elucidating the potential hosts and vectors in the enzootic transmission of O. tsutsugamushi and tick-borne SFG rickettsiae in Taiwan. Further studies should focus on characterizing pathogens in L. imphalum and R. haemaphysaloides, as well as the proclivity of both vectors to humans. Uncovering the main hosts of adult ticks is also critical for the prevention of SFG rickettsial infections. SN - 1365-2915 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/21223345/Identification_of_potential_hosts_and_vectors_of_scrub_typhus_and_tick_borne_spotted_fever_group_rickettsiae_in_eastern_Taiwan_ L2 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2010.00941.x DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -