Mini-review: zoonotic agents from ticks in Malaysia
2017
Bolongon, Gilmoore G. | Lim, Fang Shiang | Noor Azleen M. K. | Khoo, Jing Jing | Khor, Chee Sieng | Sazaly Abu Bakar
Ticks serve as vectors of multiple pathogenic bacteria, viruses and piroplasms with medical and veterinary importance worldwide. Close contact with animal hosts infested with ticks may result in transmission of zoonotic pathogens from animal reservoirs to humans. In Malaysia, past exposure to tick-borne pathogens such as Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Babesia and other rickettsial infections have been reported in both human and animals. Research into the presence and transmission of tick-borne zoonotic pathogens is crucial in safeguarding human health. In our laboratory, we aim to study the presence of tick-borne pathogens by using molecular techniques and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The detection of bacteria and viruses are performed in ticks collected from farms, indigenous people (Orang Asli) villages and forests such as the national parks in Malaysia. The bacterial communities in these ticks were investigated by 16s rRNA amplicon sequencing on NGS platform. Early findings revealed the presence of diverse community of bacteria, including pathogens and endosymbionts. On-going efforts include expanding the microbiome investigations into ticks from other regions in Malaysia, as well as to intensify the discovery of tick-borne viruses. This review summarizes the current knowledge of potential tick-borne zoonotic agents in Malaysia, as well as the recent findings in the investigation of the bacterial and viral agents of ticks from Malaysia undertaken at the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC).
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