Isolation of Arsenophonus nasoniae from Ixodes ricinus ticks in Slovakia

The tick Ixodes ricinus is the most prevalent and widely distributed tick species in Central Europe, commonly found in woodlands, heaths, and forests and particularly abundant in the Alpine region. This tick readily bites humans and transmits a number of bacterial and viral pathogens. We collected 10 live nymphs of I. ricinus ticks from vegetation in the Rovinka forest, Slovakia, and isolated a strain of Arsenophonus nasoniae from one tick using the BME/CTVM2 cell line. A new isolate was then subcultured on axenic media (Columbia agar supplemented with 5% sheep blood). To the best of our knowledge, this bacterium was never previously isolated from hard ticks or identified in ticks in Europe. We amplified and sequenced the 16S rRNA, rpoB, and ftsY genes. Limited genetic characterization showed that the isolated strain is almost identical to a strain from the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Electron microscopy revealed a typical morphology of a Gram-negative bacterium, without pili or flagellae. Its role in human and animal pathology remains to be evaluated.