@article{Banović2023,

title = {Emerging tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsioses in the Balkans},

author = {Pavle Banović and Adrian Alberto Díaz-Sánchez and Angélique Foucault-Simonin and Lourdes Mateos-Hernandez and Alejandra Wu-Chuang and Clemence Galon and Verica Simin and Dragana Mijatović and Ivana Bogdan and Belkis Corona-González and Liani 

 Coronado Báez and Joanna Kulisz and Aneta Woźniak and Zbigniew Zając and Dasiel Obregón and Sara Moutailler and Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105400},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-05},

urldate = {2023-01-05},

journal = {Infection, Genetics and Evolution},

volume = {107},

abstract = {The impact of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) on human health has increased in the last decades, since the incidence of emerging and re-emerging infectious and zoonotic tick-borne diseases has increased worldwide. Tick-borne rickettsiae of the Spotted Fever group (SFGR) are considered as emerging pathogens that can infect humans and cause a variety of non-specific clinical symptoms. Here, we report nine cases of atypical tick-borne diseases (9/460; 1.95%) that occurred over a period of four months (from 15 April 2021 to 16 August 2021) in Serbia, from which five cases were classified as confirmed SFGR infection, two cases as probable SFGR infection and two cases as suspected SFGR infection. Within cases of confirmed SFGR infection, R. helvetica was detected as the causative agent in two cases. The most common clinical finding was non-expanding persistent circular redness, followed by eschar and enlargement of regional lymph nodes, and pain at lesion site. Rickettsia outer membrane protein B (ompB) and citrate synthase (gltA) gene fragments were amplified from clinical samples and ticks attached to patients and IgG reacting with Rickettsia conorii antigen were detected in sera samples of patients, which are highly suggestive of exposure to SFGR. Surveillance and monitoring of rickettsial diseases in Serbia should continue and extended to new areas due to the increasing trend of clinical infections caused by SFGR in the country.},

keywords = {rickettsia, Serbia, tick-borne diseases, ticks},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Banović2022c,

title = {Differential detection of tick-borne pathogens in human platelets and whole blood using microfluidic PCR},

author = {Pavle Banović and Elianne Piloto-Sardiñas and Dragana Mijatović and Angélique Foucault-Simonin and Verica Simin and Ivana Bogdan and Dasiel Obregon and Lourdes Mateos-Hernández and Sara Moutailler and Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106756},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-11-23},

journal = {Acta Tropica},

abstract = {The tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) with adhesive phenotype can use platelets for dissemination and colonization of distant tissues and organs, and it has been shown that they can be found concentrated in the platelet fraction of blood. This study shows the differential presence of TBPs in samples of human platelet fraction (n = 68), whole blood samples (n = 68) and ticks collected (n = 76) from the same individuals, using an unbiased high-throughput pathogen detection microfluidic system. The clinical symptoms were characterized in enrolled patients. In patients with suspected TBP infection, serological assays were conducted to test for the presence of antibodies against specific TBPs. Tick species infesting humans were identified as Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus, and Haemaphysalis punctata. Eight patients developed local skin lesions at the site of the tick bite including non-specific lesions, itching sensation at the lesion site, and eschar. Most common TBPs detected in platelet fraction were Borrelia spielmanii and Rickettsia sp., followed by Borrelia afzelii and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Multiple infections with three TBPs were detected in platelet fraction. In whole blood, most common TBPs detected were Anaplasma spp. and A. phagocytophilum, followed by Rickettsia spp. and B. afzelii. In ticks, the most common TBP detected was Rickettsia spp., followed by Borrelia spp. and Anaplasma spp. Overall, nine different pathogens with variable prevalence were identified using species-specific primers, and the most common was Rickettsia helvetica. In three patients, there were no coincidences between the TBPs detected in whole blood and tick samples. Only in one patient was detected A. phagocytophilum in both, whole blood and tick samples. These results suggest the unequal detection of TBPs in whole blood, platelet fraction and ticks collected, from the same individual. The results justify the use of both whole blood and platelet fraction for molecular diagnosis of TBPs in patients.},

keywords = {platelets, rickettsia, Serbia, tick-borne diseases},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Banović2022,

title = {Clinical Aspects and Detection of Emerging Rickettsial Pathogens: A “One Health” Approach Study in Serbia, 2020},

author = {Pavle Banović and Adrian Alberto Díaz-Sánchez and Verica Simin and Angelique Foucault-Simonin and Clemence Galon and Alejandra Wu Chuang and Dragana Mijatović and Dasiel Obregon and Sara Moutailler and Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz},

editor = {Antonio Battisti

},

url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.797399/full},

doi = {doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.797399},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-01-26},

journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},

abstract = {Ticks carry numerous pathogens that, if transmitted, can cause disease in susceptible humans and animals. The present study describes our approach on how to investigate clinical presentations following tick bites in humans. To this aim, the occurrence of major tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in human blood samples (n = 85) and the ticks collected (n = 93) from the same individuals were tested using an unbiased high-throughput pathogen detection microfluidic system. The clinical symptoms were characterized in enrolled patients. In patients with suspected TBP infection, serological assays were conducted to test for the presence of antibodies against specific TBPs. A field study based on One Health tenets was further designed to identify components of a potential chain of infection resulting in Rickettsia felis infection in one of the patients. Ticks species infesting humans were identified as Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.), Dermacentor reticulatus, and Haemaphysalis punctata. Five patients developed local skin lesions at the site of the tick bite including erythema migrans, local non-specific reactions, and cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction. Although Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Babesia microti, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Candidatus Cryptoplasma sp. DNAs were detected in tick samples, different Rickettsia species were the most common TBPs identified in the ticks. The presence of TBPs such as Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsia monacensis, Borrelia lusitaniae, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, A. phagocytophilum, and B. microti in ticks was further confirmed by DNA sequencing. Two of the patients with local skin lesions had IgG reactive against spotted fever group rickettsiae, while IgM specific to B. afzelii, Borrelia garinii, and Borrelia spielmanii were detected in the patient with erythema migrans. Although R. felis infection was detected in one human blood sample, none of the components of the potential chain of infection considered in this study tested positive to this pathogen either using direct pathogen detection in domestic dogs or xenodiagnosis in ticks collected from domestic cats. The combination of high-throughput screening of TBPs and One Health approaches might help characterize chains of infection leading to human infection by TBPs, as well as prevalence of emerging rickettsial pathogens in the Balkan region.},

keywords = {One Health, rickettsia, Serbia, ticks},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Banović2020,

title = {Humans infested with Ixodes ricinus are exposed to a diverse array of tick-borne pathogens in Serbia},

author = {Pavle Banović, Adrian Alberto Díaz-Sánchez, Clemence Galon, Verica Simin, Dragana Mijatović, Dasiel Obregón, Sara Moutailler, AlejandroCabezas-Cruz

},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877959X20304799?fbclid=IwAR3nbGgtSfPEXPX54Vr7DTBcHI_KlKPum63yjfSznOTm7NFkh7PyqLzerTs},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101609},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-11-24},

journal = {Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases},

keywords = {Borrelia, rickettsia, Serbia, ticks},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}