medigraphic.com
Centro de Investigaciones Regionales Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán

2026, Number 2

<< Back Next >>

Rev Biomed 2026; 37 (2)

Tick-borne zoonotic hemotropic-diseases coinfection in human from Western Venezuela

Añez-Reverol NO, Crisante-Rojas GE, del Valle Rojas-Estaba A, Añez-Rojas NJ, Yépez-Hurtado JY, Parada-Fuente H

Language: English
References: 28
Page: 54-62
PDF size: 408.97 Kb.


ABSTRACT

Introduction. Tick-borne zoonotic diseases, caused by hemotropic organisms of the families Anaplasmataceae and Babesiidae, are of great extend in most countries of the American tropical region generating severe and frequent outbreaks in human populations.
Objective. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of tick-borne parasitic infections and coinfections caused by organisms of the genera Anaplasma, Babesia and Ehrlichia in humans exposed to tick-bites through farming or residence in rural areas of Western Venezuela where these infections are endemic.
Materials and methods. Parasitological and molecular (PCR) methodologies in peripheral blood samples were used to detect tick-borne organisms (Anaplasma, Babesia and Ehrlichia) in human populations from rural areas of Western Venezuela. A total of 346 blood samples were evaluated. These included, 226 of patients referred to a diagnostic center in Mérida state coming from different health units and, 120 from schoolchildren and parents sampled in three communities of Barinas state.
Results. The occurrence of infection and coinfection by Anaplasma sp, Babesia sp and/or Ehrlichia sp across different age-groups, was recorded. Anaplasma sp. infection was detected with higher frequency in all the study-groups. Anaplasma and Babesia are widespread and well adapted-infections to a higher degree than Ehrlichia. Particularly, in the group studied from Barinas’ state statistical analyses revealed an epidemiological relationship between Anaplasma and Babesia coinfection, showing the higher prevalence (92% and 95% respectively) and strong association in infected individuals, indicating ancient-relationships with tick-vector.
Conclusion. These findings highlight the significant public health burden of tick-borne diseases in rural Western Venezuela and the need for enhance surveillance and control measures to protect vulnerable populations.


REFERENCES

  1. de la Fuente J, Estrada-Peña E, Venzal JM, Kocan KM, Sonenshine D. Ticks as vectors of pathogens thatcause disease in humans and animals. Frontiers inBioscience; 2008. 13 6938-6946. PMID: 18508706-DOI: 10.2741/3200

  2. Wilson, M L, G H Adler, and A Spielman. CorrelationBetween Abundance of Deer and That of the DeerTick, Ixodes dammini (Acari: Ixodidae). Annals of theEntomological Society of America; 1985. 78: 172-176.).https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/78.2.172.

  3. González-Sanz M, Fhogartaigh C N. Zoonotic Infections.Book Chapter; 2019. 35:290-296. Oxford University Press.https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198801740.003.0046.

  4. Koren, P and Chaves, LF. 2024. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biaf045/8114226.

  5. Otte and Pica-Ciamarra. Emerging infectious zoonoticdiseases: The neglected role of food animals. OneHealth;2021. 13:100323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100323.

  6. Wang N and Liu S. Modeling of periodic input Ornstein–Uhlenbeck temperature-tick-borne disease transmissioncoupling mechanism under climate change. ActaTropica; 2025.261: 107490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107490.

  7. Randolph S, Gern, L, Nuttall, P, Co-feeding ticks:epidemiological significance for tick-borne pathogentransmission; Parasitol. Today;1996.12(12):472–479.https://doi.org/1038.1016/S0169-4758(96)10072-7.

  8. Voordouw MJ. Co-feeding transmission in Lyme diseasepathogens. Parasitology; 2015.142 (2), 290–302. http://refhub.elsevie.com(S0001-706x24)00371-1/sb38.

  9. Nah K, Magpantay F M G, Bede-Fazekas á, Röst G,Trájer A J, Wu X, Zhang X, Wu J. Assessing systemic andnon-systemic transmission risk of tick-borne encephalitisvirus in Hungary. PLoS One;2019.14(6), e0217206. http://refhub.elsevie.com(S0001-706x24)00371-1/sb20.

  10. Diuk-Wasser M, Vannier E, Krause PJ. Coinfection bythe tick-borne pathogens Babesia microti and Borreliaburgdorferi: ecological, epidemiological and clinicalconsequences. Trends Parasitol;2016. 32(1): 30–42.doi:10.1016/j.pt.2015.09.008.

  11. 11. Krause PJ. Human Babesiosis. International Journalfor Parasitology.2019.49(2):165-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.11.007

  12. Payne RC, Scott JM. Anaplasmosis and babesiosis inEl Salvador. Trop. Anim. Health Prod.1982. 14: 75-80.https://www.agronomia.ues.edu.sv/agrociencia.

  13. Guglielmone A A. Epidemiology of babesiosis andanaplasmosis in South and Central America. VetParasitol.1995. Mar;57(1-3):109-19. doi: 10.1016/0304-4017(94)03115-d.

  14. Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Bonilla-Aldana DK, Idarraga-Bedoya SE et al. Epidemiology of zoonotic tick-bornediseases in Latin America: ¿Are we just seeing the tip ofthe iceberg? F1000Research; 2019.7:1988 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.17649.2).

  15. Stich R, Bantle, JA, Kocan, K M, Fekete, A. Detection ofAnaplasma marginale (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) inhemolymph of Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae)with the Polymerase Chain Reaction. J. Med. Entomol;1993.30(4):781-788. DOI: 10.1093/jmedent/30.4.781.

  16. Añez-Rojas N, Romero O, Valbuena H, Crisante G,Rojas A, Bolívar, A M, Añez N. Detection of Anaplasmamarginale Transplacental Transmission in AsymptomaticCattle. Revista Científica, FCV-LUZ; 2010. Vol. XX,Nº 4, 377-382. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=95916179007.

  17. Alhassan A, Pumidonming W, Okamura M, HirataH, Battsetseg B, Fujisaki K, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I.Development of a single-round and multiplex PCRmethod for the simultaneous detection of Babesia caballiand Babesia equi in horse blood. Veterinary Parasitology;2005.129:4349. PMID: 15817201-DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.12.018.

  18. Añez N, Rojas A, Crisante G, Abello J, Zambrano C,Quiñonez M. Human babesiosis in Western-Venezuela.Case Reports. CientMed; 2020.1(27):1-6. ISSN-e: 2665-0479.

  19. Murphy G L, Murphy SA, Whitworth LC, Fox JC, KocanAA. A molecular and serologic survey of Ehrlichia canis,E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii in dogs and ticks fromOklahoma. Veterinary Parasitology; 1998. 79. 325±339.PMID: 9831955. DOI: 10.1016/s0304-4017(98)00179-4

  20. Anderson, JF, The natural history of ticks. Med. Clin.2002. 86 (2): 205–218. http://refhub.elsevie.com(S0001-706x24)00371-1/sb23.

  21. Chen SM, Dumler JS, Bakken JS, Walker DH. Identificationof a granulocytotropic Ehrlichia species as the etiologicagent of human disease. J. Clin. Microbiol.1994.32,589±595. doi: 10.1128/jcm.32.3.589-595.1994.

  22. Ismail N, Bloch KC, McBride J W. 2010. HumanEhrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis. 2010; 30: 261–292. doi:10.1016/j.cll.2009.10.004.

  23. Krause PJ, Lepore T, Sikand VK, Gadbaw J, Burke G,Telford S, et al. Atovaquone and azithromycin for thetreatment of babesiosis. N Eng J Med, 2003; 343(20):1454-1458. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200011163432004.

  24. Herc E, Pritt B, Huizenga T, Douce R, Hysell M, NewtonD, et al., Probable locally acquired Babesia divergens–like infection in woman, Michigan, USA. Emerg InfDis, 2018; 24(8):1558-1560. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2408.180309.

  25. Homer MJ, Aguilar-Delfín I, Telford S, Krause PJ,Persing DH. Babesiosis. Clin Microbiol Rev; 2000. 13(3):451–469. https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.13.3.451

  26. Melendez R. Babesiosis: An emerging zoonosis intemperate and tropical zones. A Review. Rev. Cient. 2000.FCV-LUZ, 10(1):13-18.

  27. Gray JS, Weiss LM. (2008) Babesia microti. In: Khan,N. (Ed.), Emerging Protozoan Pathogens. Taylor andFrancis, Abingdon, UK, 2008. pp. 303–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejop.2008.02.001

  28. Gao Y, Añez N, Chaves LF. High Spatial ResolutionEnsemble Species Distribution Modeling of Rhodniusprolixus, Vector of Chagas Disease, in WesternVenezuela. GeoHealth, 2026 (In Press).




2020     |     www.medigraphic.com