Surveillance for tick and humans infection with Tacheng tick virus 5 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 2019−2021

  Objective  To detect Tacheng tick virus 5 (TcTV-5) in ticks and humans in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region（Xinjiang), and provide reference for the detection of new tick-borne infectious diseases.

  Methods   A total of 451 free ticks and parasitic ticks were collected from 6 counties in Xinjiang from 2019 to 2021. Morphological and molecular biological tests were performed to determine tick species. In 2021, a total of 280 blood samples of farmers and herdsmen in Tumushuke of Xinjiang were collected, Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect TcTV-5 in collected samples, then gene phylogenetic tree was constructed, the genetic evolutionary relationship was analyzed, and the results were analyzed by molecular epidemiological method.

  Results  According to morphological and molecular identifications, the ticks collected in Xinjiang were classified into three genera and three species, including Hyalomma asiaticum, Dermacentor marginatus and Rhipicephalus turanicus. TcTV-5 was detected in both ticks and human blood samples.The positive rates of TcTV-5 in ticks in 6 counties ranged from 3.33% (2/60)–36.11% (26/72), and the positive rates of TcTV-5 was 2.50% (7/280) in 280 human blood samples from Tumushuke.

  Conclusion  TcTV-5 can be detected in both ticks and human blood in Xinjiang. The ticks carrying TcTV-5 included (H. asiaticum, D. marginatus and R. turanicus)and the positive rate was highest in D. marginatus.