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Ticks and tick-borne diseases2019; 10(3); 704-708; doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.03.003

Hyalomma rufipes on an untraveled horse: Is this the first evidence of Hyalomma nymphs successfully moulting in the United Kingdom?

Abstract: During September 2018, a tick was submitted to Public Health England's Tick Surveillance Scheme for identification. The tick was sent from a veterinarian who removed it from a horse in Dorset, England, with no history of overseas travel. The tick was identified as a male Hyalomma rufipes using morphological and molecular methods and then tested for a range of tick-borne pathogens including; Alkhurma virus, Anaplasma, Babesia, Bhanja virus, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus, Rickettsia and Theileria. The tick tested positive for Rickettsia aeschlimannii, a spotted fever group rickettsia linked to a number of human cases in Africa and Europe. This is the first time H. rufipes has been reported in the United Kingdom (UK), and the lack of travel by the horse (or any in-contact horses) suggests that this could also be the first evidence of successful moulting of a Hyalomma nymph in the UK. It is postulated that the tick was imported into the UK on a migratory bird as an engorged nymph which was able to complete its moult to the adult stage and find a host. This highlights that passive tick surveillance remains an important method for the detection of unusual species that may present a threat to public health in the UK. Horses are important hosts of Hyalomma sp. adults in their native range, therefore, further surveillance studies should be conducted to check horses for ticks in the months following spring bird migration; when imported nymphs may have had time to drop off their avian host and moult to adults. The potential human and animal health risks of such events occurring more regularly are discussed.
Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2019-03-09 PubMed ID: 30876825DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.03.003Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study reports the first detection of a Hyalomma rufipes tick, which was found on an untraveled horse in the UK. This is also possibly the first evidence of the successful transformation of Hyalomma nymphs in the UK. The tick was found to be carrying Rickettsia aeschlimannii, a bacteria that causes spotted fever in humans.

Article Summary

This research focuses on a tick specimen sent to Public Health England’s Tick Surveillance Scheme for identification in September 2018. The sample was taken from a horse in Dorset, England, that had not traveled abroad but was found to host a male Hyalomma rufipes tick. The study is significant as this is the first instance that H. rufipes, a type of tick not native to the United Kingdom, has been identified in the UK.

Identification and Testing

  • After removal from the horse, the tick was subjected to morphological and molecular methods for identification. The scientists confirmed it was a male Hyalomma rufipes.
  • The tick was then tested for various tick-borne pathogens, including the Alkhurma virus, Anaplasma, Babesia, Bhanja virus, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus, Rickettsia and Theileria.
  • Test results revealed that the tick was infected with Rickettsia aeschlimannii. This pathogen belongs to the spotted fever group rickettsia, which has been associated with human infections in both Africa and Europe.

Origins and Implications

  • The researchers hypothesized that the tick likely arrived in the UK as an engorged nymph on a migratory bird. They believe, after the nymph fell off the bird, it managed to complete its moult to the adult stage and find a host, in this case, the horse.
  • This discovery is significant as it may indicate Hyalomma nymphs’ first successful moulting in the UK, a key part of ticks’ lifecycle and spread.
  • The results underscore the importance of passive tick surveillance, which can help detect unusual tick species in the UK, potentially protecting public health from tick-borne diseases.

Recommendations for Future Studies

  • The researchers suggested further surveillance studies be conducted on horses, especially after the bird migration season, when imported nymphs might have had a chance to moult into adults.
  • They also pointed out the need to discuss the potential human and animal health risks should such events start to occur with regularity.

Cite This Article

APA
Hansford KM, Carter D, Gillingham EL, Hernandez-Triana LM, Chamberlain J, Cull B, McGinley L, Paul Phipps L, Medlock JM. (2019). Hyalomma rufipes on an untraveled horse: Is this the first evidence of Hyalomma nymphs successfully moulting in the United Kingdom? Ticks Tick Borne Dis, 10(3), 704-708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.03.003

Publication

Ticks and tick-borne diseases
ISSN: 1877-9603
NlmUniqueID: 101522599
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 3
Pages: 704-708
PII: S1877-959X(18)30518-1

Researcher Affiliations

Hansford, Kayleigh M
  • Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology Group, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, UK. Electronic address: kayleigh.hansford@phe.gov.uk.
Carter, Daniel
  • Diagnostic and Genomic Technologies, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, UK.
Gillingham, Emma L
  • Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology Group, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, UK.
Hernandez-Triana, Luis M
  • Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone, UK.
Chamberlain, John
  • Virology & Pathogenesis, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK.
Cull, Benjamin
  • Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology Group, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK.
McGinley, Liz
  • Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology Group, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK.
Paul Phipps, L
  • Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone, UK.
Medlock, Jolyon M
  • Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology Group, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, UK; Virology & Pathogenesis, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, SP4 0JG, UK.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Migration
  • Animals
  • Birds / parasitology
  • Communicable Diseases, Imported / parasitology
  • Communicable Diseases, Imported / veterinary
  • England
  • Horses / parasitology
  • Ixodidae / classification
  • Ixodidae / physiology
  • Male
  • Molting
  • Nymph / physiology
  • Public Health
  • Rickettsia / genetics
  • Rickettsia / isolation & purification
  • Tick Infestations / veterinary
  • Travel

Grant Funding

  • Department of Health

Citations

This article has been cited 28 times.
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