Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights
Ticks are prominent vectors of several zoonotic diseases. Tick-borne pathogens include the members of the genus Ehrlichia, which are obligate intracellular bacteria infecting immune and hematopoietic cells. Ehrlichia muris predominantly affects rodents, but was also reported to be a human pathogen....
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Elsevier
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2400102X |
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| author | Carlo Croci Luca Erriquez Beatrice Bisaglia Greta Bellinzona Emanuela Olivieri Davide Sassera Michele Castelli |
| author_facet | Carlo Croci Luca Erriquez Beatrice Bisaglia Greta Bellinzona Emanuela Olivieri Davide Sassera Michele Castelli |
| author_sort | Carlo Croci |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ticks are prominent vectors of several zoonotic diseases. Tick-borne pathogens include the members of the genus Ehrlichia, which are obligate intracellular bacteria infecting immune and hematopoietic cells. Ehrlichia muris predominantly affects rodents, but was also reported to be a human pathogen. The known geographical distribution of this bacterium ranges from Asia, to the USA and eastern Europe. In the present work, we report the finding of E. muris in an Ixodes ricinus tick collected from a migratory bird (Turdus iliacus) in Italy, southern Europe. We sequenced the total DNA from this tick sample, and, thanks to a dedicated bioinformatic pipeline, selectively assembled the genome of the bacterium, which represents the first one for E. muris from Europe. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses were then performed. Accounting for tick species distribution, bird migratory routes, and molecular phylogeny of the bacterium, it is likely that this bird transported the tick to Italy from an endemic area of E. muris, such as eastern Europe.In addition, comparative genomic analyses highlighted that E. muris and other Ehrlichia spp. display copy number variations in two families of membrane proteins, likely due to recent gene duplication, deletion and recombination events. These differences are probably a source of variability for surface antigens to evade host immunity, with a potential role in host adaptation and specificity. The present results underline the impact of migratory birds on the spread of tick-borne pathogens towards non-endemic areas, highlighting the need for further epidemiological surveillance at bird ringing stations in Italy, and advocating further investigations on possible local transmission of E. muris in competent mammalian hosts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-56ca62a6312e40ea98620cf7ce1f1838 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1877-9603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-56ca62a6312e40ea98620cf7ce1f18382024-12-14T06:30:34ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032024-11-01156102409Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insightsCarlo Croci0Luca Erriquez1Beatrice Bisaglia2Greta Bellinzona3Emanuela Olivieri4Davide Sassera5Michele Castelli6Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Italy; Corresponding author.Ticks are prominent vectors of several zoonotic diseases. Tick-borne pathogens include the members of the genus Ehrlichia, which are obligate intracellular bacteria infecting immune and hematopoietic cells. Ehrlichia muris predominantly affects rodents, but was also reported to be a human pathogen. The known geographical distribution of this bacterium ranges from Asia, to the USA and eastern Europe. In the present work, we report the finding of E. muris in an Ixodes ricinus tick collected from a migratory bird (Turdus iliacus) in Italy, southern Europe. We sequenced the total DNA from this tick sample, and, thanks to a dedicated bioinformatic pipeline, selectively assembled the genome of the bacterium, which represents the first one for E. muris from Europe. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses were then performed. Accounting for tick species distribution, bird migratory routes, and molecular phylogeny of the bacterium, it is likely that this bird transported the tick to Italy from an endemic area of E. muris, such as eastern Europe.In addition, comparative genomic analyses highlighted that E. muris and other Ehrlichia spp. display copy number variations in two families of membrane proteins, likely due to recent gene duplication, deletion and recombination events. These differences are probably a source of variability for surface antigens to evade host immunity, with a potential role in host adaptation and specificity. The present results underline the impact of migratory birds on the spread of tick-borne pathogens towards non-endemic areas, highlighting the need for further epidemiological surveillance at bird ringing stations in Italy, and advocating further investigations on possible local transmission of E. muris in competent mammalian hosts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2400102XVirB2Omp-1/P28Type IV secretion systemRickettsialesAnaplasmataceaeVector-borne pathogen |
| spellingShingle | Carlo Croci Luca Erriquez Beatrice Bisaglia Greta Bellinzona Emanuela Olivieri Davide Sassera Michele Castelli Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases VirB2 Omp-1/P28 Type IV secretion system Rickettsiales Anaplasmataceae Vector-borne pathogen |
| title | Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights |
| title_full | Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights |
| title_fullStr | Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights |
| title_short | Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights |
| title_sort | genome sequence of ehrlichia muris from ixodes ricinus collected in italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights |
| topic | VirB2 Omp-1/P28 Type IV secretion system Rickettsiales Anaplasmataceae Vector-borne pathogen |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X2400102X |
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