Diversity of Rickettsia species in border regions of northwestern China

BACKGROUND: Rickettsia species belonging to the spotted fever group (SFG) cause infections in humans, domestic animals and wildlife. At least ten SFG Rickettsia species are known to occur in China. However, the distribution of rickettsiae in ticks and fleas in the border region of northwestern China have not been systematically studied to date. RESULTS: A total of 982 ticks (Rhipicephalus turanicus, Dermacentor marginatus, D. nuttalli and Haemaphysalis punctata) and 5052 fleas (18 flea species from 14 species of wild mammals) were collected in ten and five counties, respectively, of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwestern China). Tick and flea species were identified according to morphological and molecular characteristics. Seven sets of primers for amplifying the 17-kDa antigen gene (17-kDa), citrate synthase gene (gltA), 16S rRNA gene (rrs), outer membrane protein A and B genes (ompA, ompB), surface cell antigen 1 gene (sca1) and PS120-protein encoding gene (gene D) were used to identify the species of rickettsiae. Nine Rickettsia species have been detected, seven of them in ticks: R. aeschlimannii, R. conorii, R. raoultii, Rickettsia sibirica, R. slovaca, R. massiliae and “Candidatus R. barbariae”. In addition, R. bellii and two genotypes of a rickettsia endosymbiont (phylogenetically in an ancestral position to R. bellii) have been detected from flea pools. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides molecular evidence for the occurrence of several SFG rickettsiae in Rhipicephalus turanicus, Dermacentor nuttalli and D. marginatus. Furthermore, R. bellii and two ancestral rickettsia endosymbionts are present in fleas infesting wild rodents in the border regions of northwestern China. These data extend our knowledge on the diversity of rickettsiae in Central Asia. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3233-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.