A possible role for ticks in the transmission of Madurella mycetomatis in a mycetoma-endemic village in Sudan

Background: Currently there is a wide knowledge gap in our understanding of mycetoma epidemiological characteristics, including the infection route. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study was carried out to determine the role of exposure to animals and insects such as ticks in the transmission of eumycetoma in two adjacent villages at eastern Sudan. Results: Significant differences were found between the two villages in the level of contact and exposure to animals and ticks, the percentages of people bitten by ticks, participation in cleaning animal pens and knowledge of the medical importance of ticks. In the village with a high mycetoma prevalence rate, there were high infestation rates of ticks in domestic animals. Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus species were the most prevalent species in houses with mycetoma patients and together they constituted 83% of the total collection. Pool screening of vectors for the detection of Madurella mycetomatis recombinant RNA genes showed one positive pool from Rhipicephalus evertsi following amplification of the universal fungal primer and one positive sample from Hyalomma rufipes following the use of a specific primer. Conclusion: The findings indicate a possible role of ticks in the transmission of eumycetoma causative agents. However, further in-depth studies are needed to verify this.