Open AccessPathogens, endosymbionts, and blood-meal sources of host-seeking ticks in the fast-changing Maasai Mara wildlife ecosystem
Author(s) -
Joseph Wang’ang’a Oundo,
Jandouwe Villinger,
Maamun Jeneby,
George Ong’amo,
Moses Otiende,
Edward Edmond Makhulu,
Ali Abdulahi Musa,
Daniel O. Ouso,
Lillian Wambua
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0228366
Subject(s) - biology , babesia , anaplasma , theileria parva , ehrlichia , tick , theileria , amblyomma variegatum , tick borne disease , veterinary medicine , zoology , virology , ixodidae , parasite hosting , medicine , world wide web , computer science
The role of questing ticks in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), an ecosystem with intensified human-wildlife-livestock interactions, remains poorly understood. We surveyed the diversity of questing ticks, their blood-meal hosts, and tick-borne pathogens to understand potential effects on human and livestock health. By flagging and hand-picking from vegetation in 25 localities, we collected 1,465 host-seeking ticks, mostly Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma species identified by morphology and molecular analysis. We used PCR with high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis and sequencing to identify Anaplasma , Babesia , Coxiella , Ehrlichia , Rickettsia , and Theileria pathogens and blood-meal remnants in 231 tick pools. We detected blood-meals from humans, wildebeest, and African buffalo in Rh . appendiculatus , goat in Rh . evertsi , sheep in Am . gemma , and cattle in Am . variegatum . Rickettsia africae was detected in Am . gemma (MIR = 3.10) that had fed on sheep and in Am . variegatum (MIR = 250) that had fed on cattle. We found Rickettsia spp. in Am . gemma (MIR = 9.29) and Rh . evertsi (MIR = 200), Anaplasma ovis in Rh . appendiculatus (MIR = 0.89) and Rh . evertsi (MIR = 200), Anaplasma bovis in Rh . appendiculatus (MIR = 0.89), and Theileria parva in Rh . appendiculatus (MIR = 24). No Babesia , Ehrlichia , or Coxiella pathogens were detected. Unexpectedly, species-specific Coxiella sp. endosymbionts were detected in all tick genera (174/231 pools), which may affect tick physiology and vector competence. These findings show that ticks from the MMNR are infected with zoonotic R . africae and unclassified Rickettsia spp., demonstrating risk of African tick-bite fever and other spotted-fever group rickettsioses to locals and visitors. The protozoan pathogens identified may also pose risk to livestock production. The diverse vertebrate blood-meals of questing ticks in this ecosystem including humans, wildlife, and domestic animals, may amplify transmission of tick-borne zoonoses and livestock diseases.