ArticleParasites & vectors2024
Update on tick-borne rickettsioses in mainland Portugal: emerging threats and potential vectors.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTick-borne rickettsioses (TBR) are emerging, neglected, zoonoses, caused by intracellular α-proteobacteria of the genus Rickettsia, that pose a growing public health concern. The aim of the present study was to evaluate rickettsial infections in questing ticks collected from four different ecological areas in mainland Portugal.
methodsOver a two-year period, a total of 707 questing ticks were collected. Individual adult ticks and pooled nymphs were submitted to DNA extraction, followed by qPCR assays targeting the gltA rickettsial gene. Positive samples were then submitted to conventional PCR targeting the gltA and the ompA genes for phylogenetic analysis.
resultsIn total, eight tick species were identified: Dermacentor marginatus, Haemaphysalis inermis, Haemaphysalis punctata, Hyalomma lusitanicum, Ixodes frontalis, Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus pusillus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. Additionally, rickettsial infection was associated with seven of these species, with I. frontalis being the exception. Notably, the prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was 26.35%, with phylogenetic validation confirming infections with R. helvetica, R. massiliae, R. monacensis, Candidatus R. rioja, and R. slovaca.
conclusionsThe present study highlights the necessity for ongoing surveillance to map and monitor both questing and feeding ticks, along with their vertebrate hosts. Effective control strategies are of utmost importance to mitigate the escalating threat of TBR. Additionally, the present study provides valuable epidemiological insights into TBR in Portugal, including the identification of R. slovaca infecting I. ricinus - an unconventional tick-pathogen relationship - and the first report of Candidatus R. rioja infecting D. marginatus in Portugal. In conclusion, this study contributes with valuable data regarding epidemiological results on ticks and TBR circulating in Portugal, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures to address this emerging public health challenge.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.