New geographical records for tick‐borne pathogens in ticks collected from cattle in Benin and Togo

Roland Eric Yessinou (1) , Cristina Daniela Cazan (2) , Luciana Cătălina Panait (2) , Eyabana Mollong (3) , Abel S Biguezoton (4) , Sarah Irène Bonnet (5) , Souaïbou Farougou (1, 6) , Martin H Groschup (7) , Andrei Daniel Mihalca (2)

1 UAC - Université d’Abomey-Calavi = University of Abomey Calavi
2 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj Napoca = Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară Cluj-Napoca
3 Université de Lomé [Togo]
4 CIRDES - Centre international de recherche-développement sur l'élevage en zone sub-humide
5 Génétique fonctionnelle des maladies infectieuses - Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases
6 DEPT SA - Département Santé Animale
7 INNT - Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Background Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods capable of transmitting a great variety of endemic and emerging pathogens causing diseases in animals and humans. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks collected from cattle in Benin and Togo. Methods Overall, 396 (148 males, 205 females and 43 nymphs) ticks were collected from cattle in 17 districts (Benin and Togo) between 2019 and 2020. Ticks were pooled into groups of 2–6 ticks per pool according to individual host, location, species and developmental stage. The DNA of each pool was extracted for molecular screening. Results PCR results revealed that 20 tick pools were positive for Bartonella spp. (Benin and Togo) and 23 tick pools positive for Rickettsia spp. (Benin), while all pools were negative for A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. Sequence analysis of positive Rickettsia samples revealed the presence of Rickettsia aeschlimannii. Conclusions The present study highlights the presence of zoonotic agents in ticks collected from cattle in Benin and Togo. This information will raise awareness of tick-borne diseases among physicians and veterinarians, stimulate further studies to monitor these pathogens, and advise on necessary measures to control the spread of these zoonoses.

Mots clés: bacteria; public health; Rickettsia aeschlimannii; tick; West Africa

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Roland Eric Yessinou, Cristina Daniela Cazan, Luciana Cătălina Panait, Eyabana Mollong, Abel S Biguezoton, et al.. New geographical records for tick‐borne pathogens in ticks collected from cattle in Benin and Togo. Veterinary Medicine and Science, 2023, 9 (1), pp.345 - 352. ⟨10.1002/vms3.1022⟩. ⟨pasteur-04008651⟩