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Ross AML, Stokes JV, Cross CE, Alugubelly N, Varela-Stokes AS. Multiplex TaqMan® Quantitative PCR Assays for Host-Tick-Pathogen Studies Using the Guinea Pig-Tick-Rickettsia System. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050594. [PMID: 35631115 PMCID: PMC9147651 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (SFR) is caused by spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. (SFGR), and is associated with symptoms common to other illnesses, making it challenging to diagnose before detecting SFGR-specific antibodies. The guinea pig is a valuable biomedical model for studying Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (SFR); its immune system is more like the human immune system than that of the murine model, and guinea pigs develop characteristic clinical signs. Thus, we have a compelling interest in developing, expanding, and optimizing tools for use in our guinea pig-Amblyomma-Rickettsia system for understanding host-tick-pathogen interactions. With the design and optimization of the three multiplex TaqMan® qPCR assays described here, we can detect the two SFGR, their respective primary Amblyomma sp. vectors, and the guinea pig model as part of controlled experimental studies using tick-transmission of SFGR to guinea pigs. We developed qPCR assays that reliably detect each specific target down to 10 copies by producing plasmid standards for each assay target, optimizing the individual primer-probe sets, and optimizing the final multiplex reactions in a methodical, stepwise fashion. We anticipate that these assays, currently designed for in vivo studies, will serve as a foundation for optimal SFGR detection in other systems, including fieldwork.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John V. Stokes
- Correspondence: (J.V.S.); (A.S.V.-S.); Tel.: +1-662-769-7191 (J.V.S.); +1-662-769-7192 (A.S.V.-S.)
| | | | | | - Andrea S. Varela-Stokes
- Correspondence: (J.V.S.); (A.S.V.-S.); Tel.: +1-662-769-7191 (J.V.S.); +1-662-769-7192 (A.S.V.-S.)
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Stone CM. Highlights of Medical Entomology, 2020. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:2006-2011. [PMID: 34342359 PMCID: PMC8385844 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Medical Entomology as a field is inherently global - thriving on international and interdisciplinary collaborations and affected dramatically by arthropod and pathogen invasions and introductions. This past year also will be remembered as the year in which the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic affected every part of our lives and professional activities and impacted (or changed, sometimes in good ways) our ability to collaborate and detect or respond to invasions. This incredible year is the backdrop for the 2020 Highlights in Medical Entomology. This article highlights the broad scope of approaches and disciplines represented in the 2020 published literature, ranging from sensory and chemical ecology, population genetics, impacts of human-mediated environmental change on vector ecology, life history and the evolution of vector behaviors, to the latest developments in vector surveillance and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris M Stone
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 S. Oak Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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Sánchez-Montes S, Salceda-Sánchez B, Bermúdez SE, Aguilar-Tipacamú G, Ballados-González GG, Huerta H, Aguilar-Domínguez M, la Mora JDD, Licona-Enríquez JD, la Mora DDD, López-Pérez AM, Torres-Castro MA, Alcántara-Rodríguez V, Becker I, Colunga-Salas P. Rhipicephalus sanguineus Complex in the Americas: Systematic, Genetic Diversity, and Geographic Insights. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10091118. [PMID: 34578151 PMCID: PMC8471700 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Rhipicephalus sanguineus group encompasses at least 12 validated species of Palearctic and Afrotropical hard ticks, which are relevant in veterinary medicine and public health. The taxonomy of R. sanguineus s.s., has been particularly intensely debated, due to its wide geographic distribution, morphological variants, parasite-host associations, and its capacity and vectorial competence for the transmission of several pathogens. By sequencing mitochondrial markers, it was possible to identify the existence of multiple lineages, among which the Tropical and the Temperate lineages stand out, particularly in America. However, the northern limit between these lineages is not clear due to the lack of extensive sampling across Mexico. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to determine the genetic diversity and structure of the R. sanguineus group in Mexico and to compare it with the populations reported in the Americas, in order to propose the northern limit of the R. sanguineus Tropical lineage and the potential regions of sympatry with R. sanguineus s.s. The findings of this study now confirm the presence of R. sanguineus s.s. in Mexico, showing a subtle genetic structure and high genetic diversity throughout its distribution in the Americas. In contrast, the Tropical lineage seems to be genetically less diverse in its overall distribution in the Americas. The genetic diversity of these two independent lineages could have important epidemiological implications in the transmission of tick pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sokani Sánchez-Montes
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Región Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Tuxpan de Rodríguez Cano, Veracruz 92870, Mexico;
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Beatriz Salceda-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Entomología, Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City 01480, Mexico;
- Correspondence: (B.S.-S.); (P.C.-S.)
| | - Sergio E. Bermúdez
- Departamento de Investigación en Entomología Médica, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama 0816-02593, Panama;
| | - Gabriela Aguilar-Tipacamú
- C. A. Salud Animal y Microbiología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro 76750, Mexico;
| | - Gerardo G. Ballados-González
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz 91710, Mexico; (G.G.B.-G.); (M.A.-D.)
| | - Herón Huerta
- Laboratorio de Entomología, Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City 01480, Mexico;
| | - Mariel Aguilar-Domínguez
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz 91710, Mexico; (G.G.B.-G.); (M.A.-D.)
| | - Jesús Delgado-de la Mora
- Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City 14080, Mexico;
| | - Jesús D. Licona-Enríquez
- Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Mexico City 06720, Mexico;
| | - David Delgado-de la Mora
- Departamento de Patología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Andrés M. López-Pérez
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Marco A. Torres-Castro
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Emergentes y Reemergentes, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales “Dr. Hideyo Noguchi”, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Yucatán 97000, Mexico;
| | - Virginia Alcántara-Rodríguez
- Unidad Departamental de Vigilancia Epidemiológica, Secretaría de Salud de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City 06900, Mexico;
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Pablo Colunga-Salas
- Centro de Medicina Tropical, Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa de Enríquez, Veracruz 91090, Mexico
- Correspondence: (B.S.-S.); (P.C.-S.)
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