Hosts and vectors of scrub typhus in Chile: epidemiological study and molecular analyses of Orientia infection in rodents and rodent-associated mites
Journal
Parasites & Vectors
ISSN
1756-3305
Date Issued
2024-12-18
Author(s)
Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito
Gerardo Acosta-Jamett
Rayitray Abello
Ju Jiang
Allen L. Richards
Katia Abarca
Type
journal-article
Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Candidatus</jats:italic> Orientia chiloensis causes scrub typhus over a wide geographical range in southern Chile. The life cycle, including vectors and reservoirs of this novel rickettsial pathogen, is incompletely understood. We analyzed rodent tissue and rodent-associated mite samples collected during a field study in six localities on Chiloé Island, where human scrub typhus cases have occurred. Using molecular methods, we detected <jats:italic>Orientia</jats:italic> DNA in 24.8% of rodents, belonging to five of seven captured species. <jats:italic>Orientia</jats:italic>-infection rates showed geographical variations, but were not influenced by rodent species, sex, age, and mite infestation. Phylogenetic analysis showed that <jats:italic>Orientia</jats:italic> sequences from trombiculid mites (<jats:italic>Proschoengastia eloisae</jats:italic>) were identical to those from scrub typhus patients from the same region. The results suggest that these rodent-associated mites serve as vectors and play an important role in the ecology of scrub typhus in southern Chile. Further studies are required to determine whether <jats:italic>Orientia</jats:italic>-infected rodents can also serve as reservoir of <jats:italic>Orientia</jats:italic> in Chile.</jats:p>
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Subjects
epidemiology
;
rickettsiales
;
scrub typhus
;
south america
;
vector-borne diseases
;
zoonotic diseases
;
animals
;
chile
;
disease reservoirs
;
disease vectors
;
female
;
humans
;
male
;
mite infestations
;
mites
;
orientia tsutsugamushi
;
phylogeny
;
rodent diseases
;
rodentia
;
scrub typhus
;
trombiculidae
;
bacterial dna
;
bacterial vector
;
rna 16s
;
adult
;
animal experiment
;
animal model
;
animal tissue
;
article
;
cervical spine dislocation
;
chile
;
dna extraction
;
female
;
host
;
male
;
mite
;
molecular evolution
;
nonhuman
;
nucleotide sequence
;
orientia
;
orientia tsutsugamushi
;
phylogeny
;
polymerase chain reaction
;
proschoengastia eloisae
;
rickettsiales
;
risk factor
;
rodent
;
scrub typhus
;
sequence analysis
;
tissues
;
trombiculidae
;
animal
;
disease carrier
;
disease reservoir
;
epidemiology
;
genetics
;
human
;
isolation and purification
;
microbiology
;
mite
;
mite infestation
;
orientia tsutsugamushi
;
parasitology
;
phylogeny
;
rodent disease
;
veterinary medicine