Tacheng tick virus 1 in ticks, livestock, and wildlife in Border Regions
of China-Kazakhstan
Abstract
Tacheng tick virus 1 (TcTV-1), emerging tick-borne orthonairoviruses,
was firstly isolated from a tick bite patient in northwestern China.
However, TcTV-1 in livestock, wildlife, and potential vectors was still
unknown. From 2017 to 2021, 1495 samples included 180 engorged adult
female ticks, 180 egg batches, 84 larvae, 896 adult ticks, 148 livestock
blood samples, and 7 spleens from red foxes were collected from 14
counties or cities of southern and eastern Kazakhstan, and northwestern
China. The samples were tested for the presence of TcTV-1 using the
viral L segments by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction
(RT-PCR). The infection rates of TcTV-1 were 7.78% (14/180), 3.89%
(7/180), and 2.47% (2/84) in engorged adult female Hyalomma
asiaticum ticks and their offsprings (eggs and larvae),
respectively. 6.45% (9/148) blood samples of livestock and 14.29%
(1/7) spleen samples of red foxes tested positive to TcTV-1. TcTV-1 was
detected in 13.08% (34/260) adult hard ticks from Kazakhstan and 5.35%
(34/636) ticks from China. This findings suggests that i) the pastured
cattle, sheep, camel and wild red fox act as natural reservoirs for
TcTV-1; ii) TcTV-1 is detected in genera of Hyalomma,
Dermacentor, Rhipicephalus and Ixodes both
originated from northwestern China and southeastern Kazakhstan; and iii)
Hy. asiaticum is a potential vector of TcTV-1 due to its
transovarial transmission.