Genotyping of Rickettsial Isolates Circulating in the Crimean Peninsula

Abstract

A total of 129 ticks (I. ricinus, D. marginatus, H. punctata, H. marginatum, and R. bursa) collected in the territory of the Crimean peninsula were studied by PCR with a widely used pair of primers for the presence of DNA of various species of rickettsia. Genotyping of the identified rickettsia isolates was carried out by determining and analyzing the nucleotide sequences of the citrate synthase (gltA) and the main surface protein (ompB) genes. The genetic material of R. raoultii was identified in the D. marginatus mites caught in the Belogorsky raion, the genetic material of R. aeschlimanii was found in the H. marginatum mites caught in the suburbs of Alushta, and the genetic material of R. monacensis was identified in the H. punctata mites from the Belogorsky raion. During the study, the genetic diversity of identified isolates was assessed by their comparison with already known strains. For the first time, other pathogenic rickettsia from the spotted fever group were shown to circulate in the mites in the territory of the Crimean Peninsula in addition to R. conorii. The identification of the spectrum of rickettsia circulating in Crimea is an urgent task and is of great importance for improvement of the diagnosis of tick-borne rickettsioses.