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Wang Y, Xu Z, Zhang H, Zhou Y, Cao J, Zhang Y, Wang Z, Zhou J. Towards modelling tick-virus interactions using the weakly pathogenic Sindbis virus: Evidence that ticks are competent vectors. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1334351. [PMID: 38567020 PMCID: PMC10985168 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1334351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Most tick-borne viruses (TBVs) are highly pathogenic and require high biosecurity, which severely limits their study. We found that Sindbis virus (SINV), predominantly transmitted by mosquitoes, can replicate in ticks and be subsequently transmitted, with the potential to serve as a model for studying tick-virus interactions. We found that both larval and nymphal stages of Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides can be infected with SINV-wild-type (WT) when feeding on infected mice. SINV replicated in two species of ticks (R. haemaphysaloides and Hyalomma asiaticum) after infecting them by microinjection. Injection of ticks with SINV expressing enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (eGFP) revealed that SINV-eGFP specifically aggregated in the tick midguts for replication. During blood-feeding, SINV-eGFP migrated from the midguts to the salivary glands and was transmitted to a new host. SINV infection caused changes in expression levels of tick genes related to immune responses, substance transport and metabolism, cell growth and death. SINV mainly induced autophagy during the early stage of infection; with increasing time of infection, the level of autophagy decreased, while the level of apoptosis increased. During the early stages of infection, the transcript levels of immune-related genes were significantly upregulated, and then decreased. In addition, SINV induced changes in the transcription levels of some functional genes that play important roles in the interactions between ticks and tick-borne pathogens. These results confirm that the SINV-based transmission model between ticks, viruses, and mammals can be widely used to unravel the interactions between ticks and viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengmao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Houshuang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongzhi Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Cao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuqiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zedong Wang
- Center of Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Biology, Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Jinlin Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
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Fitness of mCherry Reporter Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Tick Experimental Models. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122673. [PMID: 36560677 PMCID: PMC9781894 DOI: 10.3390/v14122673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) causes a most important viral life-threatening illness transmitted by ticks. The interactions between the virus and ticks are largely unexplored, indicating a lack of experimental tools and systematic studies. One such tool is recombinant reporter TBEV, offering antibody-free visualization to facilitate studies of transmission and interactions between a tick vector and a virus. In this paper, we utilized a recently developed recombinant TBEV expressing the reporter gene mCherry to study its fitness in various tick-derived in vitro cell cultures and live unfed nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks. The reporter virus was successfully replicated in tick cell lines and live ticks as confirmed by the plaque assay and the mCherry-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although a strong mCherry signal determined by fluorescence microscopy was detected in several tick cell lines, the fluorescence of the reporter was not observed in the live ticks, corroborated also by immunoblotting. Our data indicate that the mCherry reporter TBEV might be an excellent tool for studying TBEV-tick interactions using a tick in vitro model. However, physiological attributes of a live tick, likely contributing to the inactivity of the reporter, warrant further development of reporter-tagged viruses to study TBEV in ticks in vivo.
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The Unfolded-Protein Response Triggers the Arthropod Immune Deficiency Pathway. mBio 2022; 13:e0070322. [PMID: 35862781 PMCID: PMC9426425 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00703-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The insect immune deficiency (IMD) pathway is a defense mechanism that senses and responds to Gram-negative bacteria. Ticks lack genes encoding upstream components that initiate the IMD pathway. Despite this deficiency, core signaling molecules are present and functionally restrict tick-borne pathogens. The molecular events preceding activation remain undefined. Here, we show that the unfolded-protein response (UPR) initiates the IMD network. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress receptor IRE1α is phosphorylated in response to tick-borne bacteria but does not splice the mRNA encoding XBP1. Instead, through protein modeling and reciprocal pulldowns, we show that Ixodes IRE1α complexes with TRAF2. Disrupting IRE1α-TRAF2 signaling blocks IMD pathway activation and diminishes the production of reactive oxygen species. Through in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo techniques, we demonstrate that the UPR-IMD pathway circuitry limits the Lyme disease-causing spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and the rickettsial agents Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. marginale (anaplasmosis). Altogether, our study uncovers a novel linkage between the UPR and the IMD pathway in arthropods. IMPORTANCE The ability of an arthropod to harbor and transmit pathogens is termed "vector competency." Many factors influence vector competency, including how arthropod immune processes respond to the microbe. Divergences in innate immunity between arthropods are increasingly being reported. For instance, although ticks lack genes encoding key upstream molecules of the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway, it is still functional and restricts causative agents of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) and anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum). How the IMD pathway is activated in ticks without classically defined pathway initiators is not known. Here, we found that a cellular stress response network, the unfolded-protein response (UPR), functions upstream to induce the IMD pathway and restrict transmissible pathogens. Collectively, this explains how the IMD pathway can be activated in the absence of canonical pathway initiators. Given that the UPR is highly conserved, UPR-initiated immunity may be a fundamental principle impacting vector competency across arthropods.
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Stone ET, Hassert M, Geerling E, Wagner C, Brien JD, Ebel GD, Hirsch AJ, German C, Smith JL, Pinto AK. Balanced T and B cell responses are required for immune protection against Powassan virus in virus-like particle vaccination. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110388. [PMID: 35172138 PMCID: PMC8919300 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Powassan virus (POWV) is a tick-borne pathogen for which humans are an incidental host. POWV infection can be fatal or result in long-term neurological sequelae; however, there are no approved vaccinations for POWV. Integral to efficacious vaccine development is the identification of correlates of protection, which we accomplished in this study by utilizing a murine model of POWV infection. Using POWV lethal and sub-lethal challenge models, we show that (1) robust B and T cell responses are necessary for immune protection, (2) POWV lethality can be attributed to both viral- and host-mediated drivers of disease, and (3) knowledge of the immune correlates of protection against POWV can be applied in a virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccination approach that provides protection from lethal POWV challenge. Identification of these immune protection factors is significant as it will aid in the rational design of POWV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Taylor Stone
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Mariah Hassert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Colleen Wagner
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - James D Brien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Alec J Hirsch
- The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; Division of Pathobiology & Immunology, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Cody German
- The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; Division of Pathobiology & Immunology, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Jessica L Smith
- The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; Division of Pathobiology & Immunology, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Amelia K Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA.
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Thorpe CJ, Wang XR, Munderloh UG, Kurtti TJ. Tick Cell Culture Analysis of Growth Dynamics and Cellular Tropism of Rickettsia buchneri, an Endosymbiont of the Blacklegged Tick, Ixodes scapularis. INSECTS 2021; 12:968. [PMID: 34821769 PMCID: PMC8626015 DOI: 10.3390/insects12110968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, a species of significant importance to human and animal health, harbors an endosymbiont Rickettsia buchneri sensu stricto. The symbiont is largely restricted to the ovaries, but all life stages can harbor various quantities or lack R. buchneri entirely. The endosymbiont is cultivable in cell lines isolated from embryos of Ixodes ticks. Rickettsia buchneri most readily grows and is maintained in the cell line IRE11 from the European tick, Ixodes ricinus. The line was characterized by light and electron microscopy and used to analyze the growth dynamics of wildtype and GFPuv-expressing R. buchneri. qPCR indicated that the genome copy doubling time in IRE11 was >7 days. Measurements of fluorescence using a plate reader indicated that the amount of green fluorescent protein doubled every 11 days. Two 23S rRNA probes were tested via RNA FISH on rickettsiae grown in vitro and adapted to evaluate the tissue tropism of R. buchneri in field-collected female I. scapularis. We observed strong positive signals of R. buchneri in the ovaries and surrounding the nucleus of the developing oocytes. Tissue tropism in I. scapularis and in vitro growth dynamics strengthen the contemporary understanding of R. buchneri as a transovarially transmitted, non-pathogenic endosymbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody J. Thorpe
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA; (X.-R.W.); (U.G.M.)
| | | | | | - Timothy J. Kurtti
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA; (X.-R.W.); (U.G.M.)
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Salata C, Moutailler S, Attoui H, Zweygarth E, Decker L, Bell-Sakyi L. How relevant are in vitro culture models for study of tick-pathogen interactions? Pathog Glob Health 2021; 115:437-455. [PMID: 34190676 PMCID: PMC8635668 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2021.1944539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although tick-borne infectious diseases threaten human and animal health worldwide, with constantly increasing incidence, little knowledge is available regarding vector-pathogen interactions and pathogen transmission. In vivo laboratory study of these subjects using live, intact ticks is expensive, labor-intensive, and challenging from the points of view of biosafety and ethics. Several in vitro models have been developed, including over 70 continuous cell lines derived from multiple tick species and a variety of tick organ culture systems, facilitating many research activities. However, some limitations have to be considered in the translation of the results from the in vitro environment to the in vivo situation of live, intact ticks, and vertebrate hosts. In this review, we describe the available in vitro models and selected results from their application to the study of tick-borne viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, where possible comparing these results to studies in live, intact ticks. Finally, we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of in vitro tick culture models and their essential role in tick-borne pathogen research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Salata
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Sara Moutailler
- Laboratoire De Santé Animale, Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Houssam Attoui
- Department of Animal Health, UMR1161 Virologie, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, ANSES, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Erich Zweygarth
- The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Lygia Decker
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Lesley Bell-Sakyi
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Grabowski JM, Kissinger R. Ixodid Tick Dissection and Tick Ex Vivo Organ Cultures for Tick-Borne Virus Research. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 59:e118. [PMID: 33030816 DOI: 10.1002/cpmc.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Tick-borne viruses cause thousands of cases of disease worldwide every year. Specific countermeasures to many tick-borne viruses are not commercially available. Very little is known regarding tick-virus interactions and increasing this knowledge can lead to potential targets for countermeasure development. Virus infection of ex vivo organ cultures from ticks can provide an approach to identify susceptible cell types of tissue to infection. Additionally, these organ cultures can be used for functional genomic studies to pinpoint tick-specific genes involved in the virus lifecycle. Provided here are step-by-step procedures to set up basic tick organ cultures in combination with virus infection and/or functional genomic studies. These procedures can be adapted for future use to characterize other tick-borne pathogen infections as well as tick-specific biological processes. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Loading 96-well plates with gelfoam substrate Basic Protocol 2: Step-by-step aseptic dissection of unfed female/male Ixodes scapularis ticks for multiple organs Basic Protocol 3: Step-by-step aseptic dissection of fed female Ixodes scapularis ticks to remove salivary glands Basic Protocol 4: Metabolic viability analyses of tick organ cultures Basic Protocol 5: Virus infection of tick organ cultures Basic Protocol 6: Functional RNA interference analyses using tick organ cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Grabowski
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana
| | - Ryan Kissinger
- Visual Medical Arts, Research and Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana
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Tick extracellular vesicles enable arthropod feeding and promote distinct outcomes of bacterial infection. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3696. [PMID: 34140472 PMCID: PMC8211691 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23900-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles are thought to facilitate pathogen transmission from arthropods to humans and other animals. Here, we reveal that pathogen spreading from arthropods to the mammalian host is multifaceted. Extracellular vesicles from Ixodes scapularis enable tick feeding and promote infection of the mildly virulent rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum through the SNARE proteins Vamp33 and Synaptobrevin 2 and dendritic epidermal T cells. However, extracellular vesicles from the tick Dermacentor andersoni mitigate microbial spreading caused by the lethal pathogen Francisella tularensis. Collectively, we establish that tick extracellular vesicles foster distinct outcomes of bacterial infection and assist in vector feeding by acting on skin immunity. Thus, the biology of arthropods should be taken into consideration when developing strategies to control vector-borne diseases.
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9
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A novel synthetic DNA vaccine elicits protective immune responses against Powassan virus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008788. [PMID: 33119599 PMCID: PMC7595275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Powassan virus (POWV) infection is a tick-borne emerging infectious disease in the United States and North America. Like Zika virus, POWV is a member of the family Flaviviridae. POWV causes severe neurological sequalae, meningitis, encephalitis, and can cause death. Although the risk of human POWV infection is low, its incidence in the U.S. in the past 16 years has increased over 300%, urging immediate attention. Despite the disease severity and its growing potential for threatening larger populations, currently there are no licensed vaccines which provide protection against POWV. We developed a novel synthetic DNA vaccine termed POWV-SEV by focusing on the conserved portions of POWV pre-membrane and envelope (prMEnv) genes. A single immunization of POWV-SEV elicited broad T and B cell immunity in mice with minimal cross-reactivity against other flaviviruses. Antibody epitope mapping demonstrated a similarity between POWV-SEV-induced immune responses and those elicited naturally in POWV-infected patients. Finally, POWV-SEV induced immunity provided protection against POWV disease in lethal challenge experiments.
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10
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Kendall BL, Grabowski JM, Rosenke R, Pulliam M, Long DR, Scott DP, Offerdahl DK, Bloom ME. Characterization of flavivirus infection in salivary gland cultures from male Ixodes scapularis ticks. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008683. [PMID: 33017410 PMCID: PMC7561187 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Infected Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick) transmit a host of serious pathogens via their bites, including Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia microti, and tick-borne flaviviruses (TBFVs), such as Powassan virus (POWV). Although the role of female I. scapularis ticks in disease transmission is well characterized, the role of male ticks is poorly understood. Because the pathogens are delivered in tick saliva, we studied the capacity of male salivary glands (SGs) to support virus replication. Ex vivo cultures of SGs from unfed male I. scapularis were viable for more than a week and maintained the characteristic tissue architecture of lobular ducts and acini. When SG cultures were infected with the TBFVs Langat virus (LGTV) or POWV lineage II (deer tick virus), the production of infectious virus was demonstrated. Using a green fluorescent protein-tagged LGTV and confocal microscopy, we demonstrated LGTV infection within SG acinus types II and III. The presence of LGTV in the acini and lobular ducts of the cultures was also shown via immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the identification by in situ hybridization of both positive and negative strand LGTV RNA confirmed that the virus was indeed replicating. Finally, transmission electron microscopy of infected SGs revealed virus particles packaged in vesicles or vacuoles adjacent to acinar lumina. These studies support the concept that SGs of male I. scapularis ticks support replication of TBFVs and may play a role in virus transmission, and further refine a useful model system for developing countermeasures against this important group of pathogens. Powassan disease has greatly increased in frequency since its discovery in Powassan, Ontario in 1958. Powassan virus (lineage I; POWV) and Powassan virus lineage II (deer tick virus; DTV) are endemic to North America and there were 133 reported cases between 2009 and 2018, the majority since 2016. Nymphal and adult Ixodes scapularis ticks are thought to be the primary vectors of POWV/DTV to humans. However, little is known regarding DTV infection of male Ixodes ticks or their potential as vectors. In this study we characterized LGTV, a model tick-borne flavivirus, and DTV infection and propagation in male I. scapularis salivary gland cultures using an ex vivo organ culture system. This work provides insight into potential flavivirus transmission by the male I. scapularis tick.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L. Kendall
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Grabowski
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
- * E-mail: , (JMG); (MEB)
| | - Rebecca Rosenke
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
| | - Mikayla Pulliam
- Microscopy Unit, Research and Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
| | - Daniel R. Long
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
| | - Dana P. Scott
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
| | - Danielle K. Offerdahl
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
| | - Marshall E. Bloom
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT, United States of America
- * E-mail: , (JMG); (MEB)
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11
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Stewart PE, Bloom ME. Sharing the Ride: Ixodes scapularis Symbionts and Their Interactions. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:142. [PMID: 32322563 PMCID: PMC7156593 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The deer tick Ixodes scapularis transmits a variety of disease agents in the United States, spreading the bacteria that causes Lyme borreliosis, the protozoan agent of babesiosis, and viruses such as Powassan. However, a variety of other organisms have also evolved symbiotic relationships with this tick species, and it seems likely that some of these microbes have simultaneously coevolved mechanisms to impact each other and their tick host. The number of organisms identified as I. scapularis symbionts has increased seemingly exponentially with the advent of PCR and next generation sequencing technologies, but convincing arguments have proposed that some of these are of environmental origin, unadapted to surviving the physiological conditions of the tick or that they are artifacts of ultrasensitive detection methods. In this review, we examine the diversity of the known microbes occurring within the I. scapularis microbiome, the evidence for interactions between microbes, and discuss whether some organisms reported to be symbionts of I. scapularis are experimental artifacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip E Stewart
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
| | - Marshall E Bloom
- Biology of Vector-Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, United States
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