title: Molecular detection of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) in Haemaphysalis concinna ticks collected in Slovakia.
abstract: Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is a natural pathogen of murid rodents, which serve as hosts to Haemaphysalis concinna ticks. The occurrence of MHV-68 was investigated in a total of 47 H. concinna adult ticks collected on the vegetation in Gabčíkovo, situated in south-western Slovakia (47º54´0´´N, 17º35´0´´E), from May 2013 to May 2014. DNA from ticks was purified and screened by nested PCR targeting ORF50 of MHV-68 and the copy number of virus genome in ticks was determined by a real-time PCR assay specific for ORF65. The MHV-68 incidence in questing ticks was 38.3% (18/47) and the virus genome copy number per tick varied from 2x102 to 9.6x103. In this study, MHV-68 was documented for the first time in H. concinna ticks. Results expand previous data describing the occurrence of MHV-68 in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected in Slovakia, supporting the hypothesis that MHV-68 might be a newfound pathogen in ticks.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrbová
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Belvončíková
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kovaľová
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matúšková
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slovák
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kúdelová
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D018144:Rhadinovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D012377:Rodentia; D018154:Slovakia
keywords: murine herpesvirus 68; Haemaphysalis concinna ticks; nested PCR; Slovakia.