Advances in sequencing technologies have revealed the complex and diverse microbial communities present in ticks (Ixodida). As obligate blood-feeding arthropods, ticks are responsible for a number of infectious diseases that can affect humans, livestock, domestic animals and wildlife. While cases of human tick-borne diseases continue to increase in the northern hemisphere, there has been relatively little recognition of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in Australia. Over the past 5 years, studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies have shown that Australian ticks harbour unique and diverse bacterial communities. In the present study, free-ranging wildlife ( n =203), representing ten mammal species, were sampled from urban and peri-urban areas in New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD) and Western Australia (WA). Bacterial metabarcoding targeting the 16S rRNA locus was used to characterize the microbiomes of three sample types collected from wildlife: blood, ticks and tissue samples. Further sequence information was obtained for selected taxa of interest. Six tick species were identified from wildlife: Amblyomma triguttatum , Ixodes antechini , Ixodes australiensis , Ixodes holocyclus , Ixodes tasmani and Ixodes trichosuri . Bacterial 16S rRNA metabarcoding was performed on 536 samples and 65 controls, generating over 100 million sequences. Alpha diversity was significantly different between the three sample types, with tissue samples displaying the highest alpha diversity ( P Proteobacteria was the most abundant taxon identified across all sample types (37.3 %). Beta diversity analysis and ordination revealed little overlap between the three sample types ( P Anaplasmataceae , Bartonella , Borrelia , Coxiellaceae , Francisella , Midichloria , Mycoplasma and Rickettsia . Anaplasmataceae bacteria were detected in 17.7% (95/536) of samples and included Anaplasma , Ehrlichia and Neoehrlichia species. In samples from NSW, ' Ca . Neoehrlichia australis', ' Ca . Neoehrlichia arcana', Neoehrlichia sp. and Ehrlichia sp. were identified. A putative novel Ehrlichia sp. was identified from WA and Anaplasma platys was identified from QLD. Nine rodent tissue samples were positive for a novel Borrelia sp. that formed a phylogenetically distinct clade separate from the Lyme Borrelia and relapsing fever groups. This novel clade included recently identified rodent-associated Borrelia genotypes, which were described from Spain and North America. Bartonella was identified in 12.9% (69/536) of samples. Over half of these positive samples were obtained from black rats ( Rattus rattus ), and the dominant bacterial species identified were Bartonella coopersplainsensis and Bartonella queenslandensis . The results from the present study show the value of using unbiased high-throughput sequencing applied to samples collected from wildlife. In addition to understanding the sylvatic cycle of known vector-associated pathogens, surveillance work is important to ensure preparedness for potential zoonotic spillover events.

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Herpes simplex viruses, HSV-1 and HSV-2, are highly contagious and cause lifelong, latent infections with recurrent outbreaks of oral and/or genital lesions. No cure exists for HSV-1 or HSV-2 infections, but antiviral medications are commonly used to prevent and treat outbreaks. Resistance to antivirals has begun to emerge, placing an importance on finding new and effective therapies for prophylaxis and treatment of HSV outbreaks. Botanicals may be effective HSV therapies as the constituents they contain act through a variety of mechanisms, potentially making the development of antiviral resistance more challenging. A wide variety of plants from different regions in the world have been studied for antiviral activity against HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 and showed efficacy of varying degrees. The purpose of this review is to summarize research conducted on whole plant extracts against HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 in vitro and in vivo. The majority of the research reviewed was conducted in vitro using animal cell lines, and some studies used an animal model design. Also summarized are a limited number of human trials conducted using botanical therapies on HSV lesions.

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Worldwide, Bartonella infections are known to inflict a wide range of mammals and, within rodents alone, more than 20 Bartonella species have been detected. There is, however, a lack of studies on the presence of Bartonella spp. in rodents in the Baltic region. We analysed 580 individuals belonging to eight small rodent species trapped in coastal and continental areas of Lithuania during 2015-2016. The presence of Bartonella DNA was examined by real-time PCR targeting the ssrA gene. The molecular characterization of the bacteria strains was based on sequence analysis of two housekeeping genes (rpoB, groEL) and the intergenic spacer region (ITS). For the rodents overall, the prevalence of Bartonella spp. was 54.8%, while the prevalence figures for each of the individual species were 8.3% in M. musculus, 15.8% in A. agrarius, 33.3% in M. arvalis, 42.4% in M. glareolus, 53.4% in M. oeconomus, 57.5% in M. minutus, 79.6% in A. flavicollis to 80% in M. agrestis. Sequence analysis revealed that the Bartonella strains belonged to the B. grahamii, B. taylorii, B. rochalimae, B. tribocorum, B. coopersplainsensis and B. doshiae genogroups. The highest Bartonella infection rates and the highest species diversity were both detected in rodents captured in the coastal area. To our knowledge, these are the first reports of the presence of B. coopersplainsensis, B. doshiae and B. tribocorum in Lithuania.

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Our study highlights the surveillance of Bartonella species among rodents and their associated ectoparasites (ticks, fleas, lice, and mites) in several regions across Thailand. A total of 619 rodents and 554 pooled ectoparasites (287 mite pools, 62 flea pools, 35 louse pools, and 170 tick pools) were collected from 8 provinces within 4 regions of Thailand. Bandicota indica (279), Rattus rattus (163), and R. exulans (96) were the most prevalent species of rats collected in this study. Real-time PCR assay targeting Bartonella-specific ssrA gene was used for screening and each positive sample was confirmed by PCR using nuoG gene. The prevalence of Bartonella DNA in rodent (around 17%) was recorded in all regions. The highest prevalence of Bartonella species was found in B. savilei and R. rattus with the rate of 35.7% (5/14) and 32.5% (53/163), respectively. High prevalence of Bartonella-positive rodent was also found in B. indica (15.1%, 42/279), and R. norvegicus (12.5%, 5/40). In contrast, the prevalence of Bartonella species in ectoparasites collected from the rats varied significantly according to types of ectoparasites. A high prevalence of Bartonella DNA was found in louse pools (Polyplax spp. and Hoplopleura spp., 57.1%) and flea pools (Xenopsylla cheopis, 25.8%), while a low prevalence was found in pools of mites (Leptotrombidium spp. and Ascoschoengastia spp., 1.7%) and ticks (Haemaphysalis spp., 3.5%). Prevalence of Bartonella DNA in ectoparasites collected from Bartonella-positive rodents (19.4%) was significantly higher comparing to ectoparasites from Bartonella-negative rodents (8.7%). The phylogenetic analysis of 41 gltA sequences of 16 Bartonella isolates from rodent blood and 25 Bartonella-positive ectoparasites revealed a wide range of diversity among Bartonella species with a majority of sequences (61.0%) belonging to Bartonella elizabethae complex (11 rodents, 1 mite pool, and 5 louse pools), while the remaining sequences were identical to B. phoceensis (17.1%, 1 mite pool, 5 louse pools, and 1 tick pool), B. coopersplainensis (19.5%, 5 rodents, 1 louse pool, and 2 tick pools), and one previously unidentified Bartonella species (2.4%, 1 louse pool).

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We performed genetic analysis of Bartonella isolates from rodent populations from Heixiazi Island in northeast China. Animals were captured at four sites representing grassland and brushwood habitats in 2011 and examined for the prevalence and genetic diversity of Bartonella species, their relationship to their hosts, and geographic distribution. A high prevalence (57.7%) and a high diversity (14 unique genotypes which belonged to 8 clades) of Bartonella spp. were detected from 71 rodents comprising 5 species and 4 genera from 3 rodent families. Forty-one Bartonella isolates were recovered and identified, including B. taylorii, B. japonica, B. coopersplainsensis, B. grahamii, B. washoensis subsp. cynomysii, B. doshiae, and two novel Bartonella species, by sequencing of four genes (gltA, the 16S rRNA gene, ftsZ, and rpoB). The isolates of B. taylorii and B. grahamii were the most prevalent and exhibited genetic difference from isolates identified elsewhere. Several isolates clustered with strains from Japan and far-eastern Russia; strains isolated from the same host typically were found within the same cluster. Species descriptions are provided for Bartonella heixiaziensis sp. nov. and B. fuyuanensis sp. nov.

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