Genotyping of rickettsias circulating in the territories of the Altai Republic and Khabarovsk krai

The aim of the study was to verificate of the causative agent of Siberian tick-borne typhus (STT) upon ixodic tick mixed infection on the territory of the Altai Republic and Khabarovsk Krai using an integrated molecular biological approach. Materials and methods. The material for the study was presented as 304 imago of ixodic mites of six species. The ticks were collected on the territory of the Altai Republic and the Khabarovsk Krai in the years 20142022. Rickettsia DNA was identified by two-round PCR using genus- and species-specific primers for gltA and ompA genes, followed by sequencing and using PCR reagent kits RealBest DNA R. sibirica/R. heilongjiangensis (Vector-Best, Novosibirsk). Results. The detection of rickettsia in ticks in the Altai Republic was 82.6% (CI: 69.196.1), in the Khabarovsk Krai 53.1% (CI: 44.961.3). The species composition of rickettsias in various species of ixodic mites in these territories, endemic to Siberian tick typhus, is characterized by the presence of mixed forms. Rickettsia sibirica and R. raoultii were found in ticks Dermacentor nuttalli, Haemaphysalis concinna, D. silvarum. Only Candidatus R. tarasevichiae were detected in Ixodes persulcatus, I. pavlovsky mites and I. pavlovsky/persulcatus hybrids. The DNA of R. heilongjiangensis was found in H. mites. concinna in the Khabarovsk Krai. The DNA of Candidatus R. tarasevichiae is also present in the ticks of D. nuttalli and H. concinna from the Altai Republic. The DNA of the classic pathogenic species, R. sibirica, was detected in ticks D. nuttalli and H. concinna in the Altai Republic, ticks D. silvarum, H. concinna and H. japonica douglasi in the Khabarovsk Krai. In addition, in the Khabarovsk Krai, the DNA of R. heilongjiangensis was detected in H. concinna ticks, and a DNA fragment common to R. sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae and R. conorii was detected in H. japonica douglasi ticks, which requires further study. Candidatus R. tarasevichiae is common in Ixodes mites (I. persulcatus, I. pavlovsky and their hybrids), in the Altai Republic in D. nuttalli and H. concinna. R mites. raoultii was detected in ticks of the genus Dermacentor D. nuttalli in the Altai Republic and D. silvarum in the Khabarovsk Krai. Conclusions. During molecular biological monitoring of rickettsias in endemic territories, the detection of R. raoultii masks the presence of the etiological agent of STT R. sibirica. This phenomenon makes it possible to explain the high incidence of STT in the studied territories, with the rare detectability of R. sibirica DNA during molecular biological screening in ixodic mites.