Bacterial tick-associated infections in Australia: current studies and future directions
Peter Irwin A B , Siobhon Egan A , Telleasha Greay A and Charlotte Oskam A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Vector and Waterborne Pathogens Research Group, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
B Tel: +61 8 9360 2590, Email: p.irwin@murdoch.edu.au
Microbiology Australia 39(4) 200-202 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA18063
Published: 24 October 2018
Abstract
It may seem perplexing that there is any uncertainty in Australia about the existence of zoonotic tick-associated infections1–3. Outside this country, particularly in the northern hemisphere, tick-borne diseases such as human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Boutonneuse fever, ehrlichiosis, Lyme borreliosis, and tick-borne encephalitis, have well documented aetiologies, epidemiology, diagnostic methods, and treatments. Why is Australia different and what research is being conducted to address this issue? This article briefly addresses these questions and explains how high-throughput metagenomic analysis has started to shed light on bacterial microbiomes in Australian ticks, providing new data on the presence and distribution of potentially zoonotic microbial taxa.
References
[1] Chalada, M.J. et al. (2016) Is there a Lyme-like disease in Australia? Summary of the findings to date. One Health 2, 42–54.| Is there a Lyme-like disease in Australia? Summary of the findings to date.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[2] Collignon, P.J. et al. (2016) Does Lyme disease exist in Australia? Med. J. Aust. 205, 413–417.
| Does Lyme disease exist in Australia?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[3] Beaman, M.H. (2016) Lyme disease: Why the controversy? Intern. Med. J. 46, 1370–1375.
| Lyme disease: Why the controversy?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[4] Guglielmone, A.A. et al. (2010) The Argasidae, Ixodidae and Nuttalliellidae (Acari: Ixodida) of the world: a list of valid species names. Zootaxa 2528, 1–28.
[5] Barker, S.C. et al. (2014) A list of the 70 species of Australian ticks; diagnostic guides to and species accounts of Ixodes holocyclus (paralysis tick), Ixodes cornuatus (southern paralysis tick) and Rhipicephalus australis (Australian cattle tick); and consideration of the place of Australia in the evolution of ticks with comments on four controversial ideas. Int. J. Parasitol. 44, 941–953.
| A list of the 70 species of Australian ticks; diagnostic guides to and species accounts of Ixodes holocyclus (paralysis tick), Ixodes cornuatus (southern paralysis tick) and Rhipicephalus australis (Australian cattle tick); and consideration of the place of Australia in the evolution of ticks with comments on four controversial ideas.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[6] Barker, S.C. and Walker, A.R. (2014) Ticks of Australia. The species that infest domestic animals and humans. Zootaxa 3816, 1–144.
| Ticks of Australia. The species that infest domestic animals and humans.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[7] Telford, S.R. and Goethert, H.K. (2008) Emerging and emergent tick-borne infections. In Ticks: Biology, Disease and Control (Bowman, A.S. and Nuttall, P.A., eds). pp. 344–376. Cambridge University Press.
[8] Ross, P.H. and Milne, A.D. (1904) Tick fever. BMJ 2, 1453–1454.
| Tick fever.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[9] Steere, A.C. et al. (1977) Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three Connecticut communities. Arthritis Rheum. 20, 7–17.
| Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three Connecticut communities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[10] Burgdorfer, W. et al. (1982) Lyme disease: a tick-borne spirochaetosis? Science 216, 1317–1319.
| Lyme disease: a tick-borne spirochaetosis?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[11] Wills, M.C. and Barry, R.D. (1991) Detecting the cause of Lyme disease in Australia. Med. J. Aust. 155, 275.
[12] Russell, R.C. et al. (1994) Lyme disease: a search for a causative agent in ticks in south-eastern Australia. Epidemiol. Infect. 112, 375–384.
| Lyme disease: a search for a causative agent in ticks in south-eastern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[13] Gofton, A.W. et al. (2015) Inhibition of the endosymbiont ‘Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii’ during 16S rRNA gene profiling reveals potential pathogens in Ixodes ticks from Australia. Parasit. Vectors 8, 345.
| Inhibition of the endosymbiont ‘Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii’ during 16S rRNA gene profiling reveals potential pathogens in Ixodes ticks from Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[14] Greay, T.L. et al. (2018) Recent insights into the tick microbiome gained through next-generation sequencing. Parasit. Vectors 11, 12.
| Recent insights into the tick microbiome gained through next-generation sequencing.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[15] Gofton, A.W. et al. (2015) Bacterial profiling reveals novel ‘Ca. Neoehrlichia’, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma species in Australian human-biting ticks. PLoS One 10, e0145449.
| Bacterial profiling reveals novel ‘Ca. Neoehrlichia’, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma species in Australian human-biting ticks.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[16] Gofton, A.W. et al. (2016) Phylogenetic characterisation of two novel Anaplasmataceae from Australian Ixodes holocyclus ticks: ‘Candidatus Neoehrlichia australis’ and ‘Candidatus Neoehrlichia arcana’. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 66, 4256–4261.
| Phylogenetic characterisation of two novel Anaplasmataceae from Australian Ixodes holocyclus ticks: ‘Candidatus Neoehrlichia australis’ and ‘Candidatus Neoehrlichia arcana’.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[17] Gofton, A.W. et al. (2017) Detection and phylogenetic characterisation of novel Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in Amblyomma triguttatum subsp. from four allopatric populations in Australia. Ticks Tick-borne Dis. 8, 749–756.
| Detection and phylogenetic characterisation of novel Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in Amblyomma triguttatum subsp. from four allopatric populations in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[18] Piesman, J. and Gern, L. (2008) Lyme borreliosis in Europe and North America. In Ticks: Biology, Disease and Control (Bowman, A.S. and Nuttall, P.A., eds). pp. 220–252. Cambridge University Press.
[19] Greay, T.L. et al. (2016) A survey of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of companion animals in Australia. Parasit. Vectors 9, 207.
| A survey of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of companion animals in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[20] Irwin, P.J. et al. (2017) Searching for borreliosis in Australia: Results of a canine sentinel study. Parasit. Vectors 10, 114.
| Searching for borreliosis in Australia: Results of a canine sentinel study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[21] Loh, S.M. et al. (2016) Novel Borrelia species detected in echidna ticks, Bothriocroton concolor, in Australia. Parasit. Vectors 9, 339.
| Novel Borrelia species detected in echidna ticks, Bothriocroton concolor, in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[22] Loh, S.M. et al. (2017) Molecular characterisation of ‘Candidatus Borrelia tachyglossi’ sp. nov. (Family Spirochaetaceae) in echidna ticks, Bothriocroton concolor. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 67, 1075–1080.
| Molecular characterisation of ‘Candidatus Borrelia tachyglossi’ sp. nov. (Family Spirochaetaceae) in echidna ticks, Bothriocroton concolor.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
