TY - JOUR
T1 - Tracking tick-borne diseases in Mongolian livestock using next generation sequencing (NGS)
AU - Chaorattanakawee, Suwanna
AU - Wofford, Rachel N.
AU - Takhampunya, Ratree
AU - Katherine Poole-Smith, B.
AU - Boldbaatar, Bazartseren
AU - Lkhagvatseren, Sukhbaatar
AU - Altantogtokh, Doniddemberel
AU - Musih, Elisha
AU - Nymadawa, Pagbajab
AU - Davidson, Silas
AU - Hertz, Jeffrey
AU - Fiorenzano, Jodi
AU - Gray, Gregory C.
AU - von Fricken, Michael E.
N1 - Funding Information:
The material in this manuscript has been reviewed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. There is no objection to its presentation and/or publication. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author, and are not to be construed as official, or as reflecting true views of the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. Multiple authors are military service members and/or federal/contracted employees of the United States government. The work prepared by DoD personnel in this manuscript was prepared as part of their official duties. Title 17 U.S.C. 105 provides that `copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.' Title 17 U.S.C. 101 defines a U.S. Government work as work prepared by a military service member or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person's official duties. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Duke University in compliance with all applicable Federal regulations governing the protection of animals in research, IACUC Protocol #: A217–15–08. This work was supported/funded by work unit number D0016 with funding provided by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD) Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) Branch, ProMIS ID # PO133_19_AF_N2. Lab analysis was funded by the AFHSD-GEIS under study #P0133_19_AF. Sample collection was funded by National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center grant, D43TW009373, “One Health Innovation Fellowships for Zoonotic Disease Research in Mongolia”.
Funding Information:
The material in this manuscript has been reviewed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. There is no objection to its presentation and/or publication. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author, and are not to be construed as official, or as reflecting true views of the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. Multiple authors are military service members and/or federal/contracted employees of the United States government. The work prepared by DoD personnel in this manuscript was prepared as part of their official duties. Title 17 U.S.C. 105 provides that `copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.' Title 17 U.S.C. 101 defines a U.S. Government work as work prepared by a military service member or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person's official duties. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Duke University in compliance with all applicable Federal regulations governing the protection of animals in research, IACUC Protocol #: A217?15?08. This work was supported/funded by work unit number D0016 with funding provided by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD) Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) Branch, ProMIS ID # PO133_19_AF_N2. Lab analysis was funded by the AFHSD-GEIS under study #P0133_19_AF. Sample collection was funded by National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center grant, D43TW009373, ?One Health Innovation Fellowships for Zoonotic Disease Research in Mongolia?.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - The livestock industry in Mongolia accounts for 24% of national revenue, with one third of the population maintaining a pastoral lifestyle. This close connection between Mongolian population and livestock is a major concern for pathogen transfer, especially given the increase in vector-borne diseases globally. This study examines blood samples from livestock to assess the prevalence of tick-borne bacterial infections across three provinces in Mongolia (Dornogovi, Selenge, Töv). Whole blood samples from 243 livestock (cattle=38, camel=11, goat=85, horse=22, sheep=87) were analyzed with 16S metagenomics next-generation sequencing (NGS) to screen for bacterial pathogens. Positive-NGS samples for Anaplasma, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Francisella, Leptospira, and Rickettsia were confirmed by conventional PCR and DNA sequencing. Prevalence rates of Anaplasma, Bartonella, and Ehrlichia were 57.6%, 12.8%, and 0.4%, respectively. A significant difference in the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. in livestock by province was observed, with a higher prevalence in Selenge (74.2%, p<0.001) and Töv (64.2% p = 0.006) compared to the semi-arid region of Dornogovi (39.8%). In contrast, no association was observed in Bartonella prevalence by provinces. All Anaplasma sequences (N = 139) were characterized as A. ovis. For Bartonella species characterization, phylogenetic analyses of gltA and rpoB genes identified three Bartonella species including B. bovis, B. melophagi and Candidatus B. ovis. Bartonella bovis was detected in all 22-positive cattle, while B. melophagi and Candidatus B. ovis were found in four and three sheep, respectively. This study identifies a high prevalence of tick-borne pathogens within the livestock population and to our knowledge, is the first time NGS methods have been used to explore tick-borne diseases in Mongolia. Further research is needed in Mongolia to better understand the clinical and economic burdens associated with tick-borne diseases in both livestock and pastoral herder populations.
AB - The livestock industry in Mongolia accounts for 24% of national revenue, with one third of the population maintaining a pastoral lifestyle. This close connection between Mongolian population and livestock is a major concern for pathogen transfer, especially given the increase in vector-borne diseases globally. This study examines blood samples from livestock to assess the prevalence of tick-borne bacterial infections across three provinces in Mongolia (Dornogovi, Selenge, Töv). Whole blood samples from 243 livestock (cattle=38, camel=11, goat=85, horse=22, sheep=87) were analyzed with 16S metagenomics next-generation sequencing (NGS) to screen for bacterial pathogens. Positive-NGS samples for Anaplasma, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Francisella, Leptospira, and Rickettsia were confirmed by conventional PCR and DNA sequencing. Prevalence rates of Anaplasma, Bartonella, and Ehrlichia were 57.6%, 12.8%, and 0.4%, respectively. A significant difference in the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. in livestock by province was observed, with a higher prevalence in Selenge (74.2%, p<0.001) and Töv (64.2% p = 0.006) compared to the semi-arid region of Dornogovi (39.8%). In contrast, no association was observed in Bartonella prevalence by provinces. All Anaplasma sequences (N = 139) were characterized as A. ovis. For Bartonella species characterization, phylogenetic analyses of gltA and rpoB genes identified three Bartonella species including B. bovis, B. melophagi and Candidatus B. ovis. Bartonella bovis was detected in all 22-positive cattle, while B. melophagi and Candidatus B. ovis were found in four and three sheep, respectively. This study identifies a high prevalence of tick-borne pathogens within the livestock population and to our knowledge, is the first time NGS methods have been used to explore tick-borne diseases in Mongolia. Further research is needed in Mongolia to better understand the clinical and economic burdens associated with tick-borne diseases in both livestock and pastoral herder populations.
KW - Anaplasma
KW - Bartonella
KW - Mongolia
KW - Next generation sequencing
KW - One health
KW - Tick-borne disease
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101845
DO - 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101845
M3 - Article
C2 - 34689003
AN - SCOPUS:85117615605
SN - 1877-959X
VL - 13
JO - Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
JF - Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
IS - 1
M1 - 101845
ER -