Detection of Theileria orientalis in mosquito blood meals in the United Kingdom.
Theileria spp. are tick-borne protozoan parasites that infect a wide range of wild and domestic animals. In this study, the utility of xenosurveillance of blood-fed specimens of Culiseta annulata for detecting the presence of piroplasms in livestock was investigated. Blood-fed mosquitoes were collected at Elmley National Nature Reserve, Kent, United Kingdom. All specimens were morphologically identified, and DNA barcoding was used to confirm the morphological identification. Both the vertebrate host species and Theileria genome was detected within the bloodmeal by real-time PCR. Sequencing was used to confirm the identity of all amplicons. In total, 105 blood-fed mosquitoes morphologically identified as Cs. annulata were collected. DNA barcoding revealed that 102 specimens were Cs. annulata (99%), while a single specimen was identified as Anopheles messeae. Two specimens could not be identified molecularly due to PCR amplification failure. Blood meal analysis revealed that Cs. annulata fed almost exclusively on cattle at the collection site (n=100). The application of a pan-piroplasm PCR detected 16 positive samples (15.2%) and sequence analysis of the amplicons demonstrated that the piroplasms present in the blood meal belonged to the Theileria orientalis group. This study demonstrates how xenosurveillance can be applied to detecting pathogens in livestock and confirms the presence of Theileria species in livestock from the United Kingdom.
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
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Fernández de Marco
Department of Disease Control, The London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom; Entomology Group, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Woking GU24 0NF, United Kingdom.
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Brugman
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
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Hernández-Triana
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
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Thorne
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
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Phipps
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, 50 Stone East Road, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Nikolova
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom; Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, L69 7BE, United Kingdom.
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Fooks
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom; Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Nick.Johnson@apha.gsi.gov.uk.
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Johnson
D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D002417:Cattle; D009033:Culicidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D016794:Theileria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013801:Theileriasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S
Blood meal; Culiseta annulata; Mosquitoes; Polymerase chain reaction; Theileria orientalis; Xenosurveillance