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Machtinger ET, Poh KC, Pesapane R, Tufts DM. An integrative framework for tick management: the need to connect wildlife science, One Health, and interdisciplinary perspectives. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 61:101131. [PMID: 37866434 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases pose a significant threat to human and animal health worldwide. Their emergence is influenced by various factors such as environmental changes, host characteristics, and human behavior. The One Health approach is necessary to thoroughly investigate tick-borne diseases and understand the complex interactions between environmental, animal, and human health. Anthropogenic changes have impacted predators, leading to cascading effects on wildlife prey species and the emergence of vector-borne diseases. The increase in global trade and travel has led to the introduction of several invasive vector species, increasing the risk of zoonotic pathogen spillover. Tick and tick-borne disease research requires an interdisciplinary approach to address challenges in a One Health paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika T Machtinger
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, 4 Chemical Ecology Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA,.
| | - Karen C Poh
- Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-ARS, ADBF 4015, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Risa Pesapane
- The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, 1920 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; The Ohio State University, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, School of Environment and Natural Resources, 2021 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Danielle M Tufts
- University of Pittsburgh, School of Public Health, Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, 2119 Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Pretoria, South Africa
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Narvaez ZE, Rainey T, Puelle R, Khan A, Jordan RA, Egizi AM, Price DC. Detection of multiple tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes scapularis from Hunterdon County, NJ, USA. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2023; 4:100140. [PMID: 37680762 PMCID: PMC10481180 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Several human pathogens vectored by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say; Acari: Ixodidae) are endemic in the state of New Jersey. Disease incidence data suggest that these conditions occur disproportionately in the northwestern portion of the state, including in the county of Hunterdon. We conducted active surveillance at three forested sites in Hunterdon County during 2020 and 2021, collecting 662 nymphal and adult I. scapularis. Ticks were tested for five pathogens by qPCR/qRT-PCR: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus (POWV) lineage 2. Over 2 years, 25.4% of nymphs and 58.4% of adults were found infected with at least one pathogen, with 10.6% of all ticks infected with more than one pathogen. We report substantial spatial and temporal variability of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi, with high relative abundance of the human-infective A. phagocytophilum variant Ap-ha. Notably, POWV was detected for the first time in Hunterdon, a county where human cases have not been reported. Based on comparisons with active surveillance initiatives in nearby counties, further investigation of non-entomological factors potentially influencing rates of tick-borne illness in Hunterdon is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe E. Narvaez
- Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology, 180 Jones Ave, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Tadhgh Rainey
- Hunterdon County Department of Health, 314 State Route 12, Flemington, NJ, 08822, USA
| | - Rose Puelle
- Hunterdon Healthcare Partners, 114 Broad St, Flemington, NJ, 08822, USA
| | - Arsala Khan
- Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology, 180 Jones Ave, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Robert A. Jordan
- Tick-borne Diseases Laboratory, Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, 1901 Wayside Rd, Tinton Falls, NJ, 07724, USA
| | - Andrea M. Egizi
- Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology, 180 Jones Ave, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
- Tick-borne Diseases Laboratory, Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, 1901 Wayside Rd, Tinton Falls, NJ, 07724, USA
| | - Dana C. Price
- Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology, 180 Jones Ave, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
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Transmission patterns of tick-borne pathogens among birds and rodents in a forested park in southeastern Canada. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266527. [PMID: 35390092 PMCID: PMC8989207 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ixodes scapularis ticks are expanding their range in parts of northeastern North America, bringing with them pathogens of public health concern. While rodents like the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, are considered the primary reservoir of many emerging tick-borne pathogens, the contribution of birds, as alternative hosts and reservoirs, to local transmission cycles has not yet been firmly established. From 2016 to 2018, we collected host-seeking ticks and examined rodent and bird hosts for ticks at 48 sites in a park where blacklegged ticks are established in Quebec, Canada, in order to characterize the distribution of pathogens in ticks and mammalian and avian hosts. We found nearly one third of captured birds (n = 849) and 70% of small mammals (n = 694) were infested with I. scapularis. Five bird and three mammal species transmitted Borrelia burgdorferi to feeding larvae (n larvae tested = 2257) and we estimated that about one fifth of the B. burgdorferi-infected questing nymphs in the park acquired their infection from birds, the remaining being attributable to mice. Ground-foraging bird species were more parasitized than other birds, and species that inhabited open habitat were more frequently infested and were more likely to transmit B. burgdorferi to larval ticks feeding upon them. Female birds were more likely to transmit infection than males, without age differentiation, whereas in mice, adult males were more likely to transmit infection than juveniles and females. We also detected Borrelia miyamotoi in larvae collected from birds, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum from a larva collected from a white-footed mouse. This study highlights the importance of characterising the reservoir potential of alternative reservoir hosts and to quantify their contribution to transmission dynamics in different species assemblages. This information is key to identifying the most effective host-targeted risk mitigation actions.
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Lucius MD, Ji H, Altomare D, Doran R, Torkian B, Havighorst A, Kaza V, Zhang Y, Gasparian AV, Magagnoli J, Shankar V, Shtutman M, Kiaris H. Genomic variation in captive deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) populations. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:662. [PMID: 34521341 PMCID: PMC8438655 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07956-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deer mice (genus Peromyscus) are the most common rodents in North America. Despite the availability of reference genomes for some species, a comprehensive database of polymorphisms, especially in those maintained as living stocks and distributed to academic investigators, is missing. In the present study we surveyed two populations of P. maniculatus that are maintained at the Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center (PGSC) for polymorphisms across their 2.5 × 109 bp genome. RESULTS High density of variation was identified, corresponding to one SNP every 55 bp for the high altitude stock (SM2) or 207 bp for the low altitude stock (BW) using snpEff (v4.3). Indels were detected every 1157 bp for BW or 311 bp for SM2. The average Watterson estimator for the BW and SM2 populations is 248813.70388 and 869071.7671 respectively. Some differences in the distribution of missense, nonsense and silent mutations were identified between the stocks, as well as polymorphisms in genes associated with inflammation (NFATC2), hypoxia (HIF1a) and cholesterol metabolism (INSIG1) and may possess value in modeling pathology. CONCLUSIONS This genomic resource, in combination with the availability of P. maniculatus from the PGSC, is expected to promote genetic and genomic studies with this animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Lucius
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Hao Ji
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Diego Altomare
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Robert Doran
- Research Computing, Division of Information Technology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Ben Torkian
- Research Computing, Division of Information Technology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Amanda Havighorst
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Vimala Kaza
- Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Youwen Zhang
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Alexander V Gasparian
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Joseph Magagnoli
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Vijay Shankar
- Center for Human Genetics, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Michael Shtutman
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
| | - Hippokratis Kiaris
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
- Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
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Tufts DM, Goodman LB, Benedict MC, Davis AD, VanAcker MC, Diuk-Wasser M. Association of the invasive Haemaphysalis longicornis tick with vertebrate hosts, other native tick vectors, and tick-borne pathogens in New York City, USA. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:149-157. [PMID: 33130214 PMCID: PMC10029828 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick, is an invasive ixodid tick that has rapidly spread across the northeastern and southeastern regions of the United States since first reported in 2017. The emergence of H. longicornis presents a potential threat for livestock, wildlife, and human health as the host associations and vector potential of this invasive pest in the United States are poorly understood. Previous field data from the United States has shown that H. longicornis was not associated with natural populations of small mammals or birds, but they show a preference for medium sized mammals in laboratory experiments. Therefore, medium and large sized mammals were sampled on Staten Island, New York, United States, to determine H. longicornis host associations and vector potential for a range of human and veterinary pathogens. A total of 97 hosts were sampled and five species of tick (Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, H. longicornis, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes cookei) were found feeding concurrently on these hosts. Haemaphysalis longicornis was found in the highest proportions compared with other native tick species on raccoons (55.4%), Virginia opossums (28.9%), and white-tailed deer (11.5%). Tissue, blood, and engorged larvae were tested for 17 different pathogens using a nanoscale PCR platform. Infection with five pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., Mycoplasma haemocanis, and Bartonella spp.) was detected in host samples, but no pathogens were found in any larval samples. These results suggest that although large and medium sized mammals feed large numbers of H. longicornis ticks in the environment, there is presently a low potential for H. longicornis to acquire pathogens from these wildlife hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M Tufts
- Columbia University, Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Department, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Laura B Goodman
- Cornell University, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Meghan C Benedict
- Cornell University, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - April D Davis
- Wadsworth Center, Griffin Laboratory, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA
| | - Meredith C VanAcker
- Columbia University, Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Department, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Maria Diuk-Wasser
- Columbia University, Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Department, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Large-scale disease patterns explained by climatic seasonality and host traits. Oecologia 2020; 194:723-733. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04782-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Cost analysis of vaccination in tick-mouse transmission of Lyme disease. J Theor Biol 2020; 494:110245. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Walsh MG, Mor SM, Maity H, Hossain S. A preliminary ecological profile of Kyasanur Forest disease virus hosts among the mammalian wildlife of the Western Ghats, India. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 11:101419. [PMID: 32241712 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) virus is one of India's severe arboviruses capable of causing prolonged debilitating disease. It has been expanding beyond its historical endemic locus at an alarming rate over the last two decades. The natural nidus of this zoonosis is located in the monsoon rainforest of the Western Ghats, India, which is one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots. Definitive reservoir hosts for KFD virus (KFDV) have yet to be delineated, and thus much of the infection ecology of this virus, and its consequent transmission dynamics, remains uncertain. Given its unique biogeographical context, identifying ecological parameters of KFDV relevant to the virus' epidemiology has been complex and challenging. The challenge has been exacerbated by diminished research efforts in wildlife surveillance over the last two decades, coinciding with the expansion of the range of KFD across the region. The current investigation sought to define a preliminary ecological profile of KFDV hosts based on their life history and feeding traits to aid in re-establishing targeted wildlife surveillance and to discern those ecological traits of wildlife hosts that may improve our understanding of KFD epidemiology. The importance of fast-living among KFDV hosts was of special interest with respect to the latter aim. We compared mammalian traits between host and non-host species using general additive models and phylogenetic generalised linear models. This study found that both body mass and forest forage were strongly associated with mammalian host infection status, but that reproductive life history traits were not. These findings will help in structuring ecologically based wildlife surveillance and field investigations, while also helping to parameterise novel epidemiological models of zoonotic infection risk that incorporate species functional traits in a region where biogeography, landscape ecology, and community ecology manifest extraordinary complexity, particularly under growing anthropogenic pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Walsh
- The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead, NSW, Australia; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
| | - Siobhan M Mor
- University of Liverpool, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Institute of Infection and Global Health Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Veterinary Science, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Hindol Maity
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Shah Hossain
- The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
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Barbour AG, Shao H, Cook VJ, Baldwin-Brown J, Tsao JI, Long AD. Genomes, expression profiles, and diversity of mitochondria of the White-footed Deermouse Peromyscus leucopus, reservoir of Lyme disease and other zoonoses. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17618. [PMID: 31772306 PMCID: PMC6879569 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The cricetine rodents Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus are key reservoirs for several zoonotic diseases in North America. We determined the complete circular mitochondrial genome sequences of representatives of 3 different stock colonies of P. leucopus, one stock colony of P. maniculatus and two wild populations of P. leucopus. The genomes were syntenic with that of the murids Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that these two Peromyscus species are sister taxa in a clade with P. polionotus and also uncovered a distinction between P. leucopus populations in the eastern and the central United States. In one P. leucopus lineage four extended regions of mitochondrial pseudogenes were identified in the nuclear genome. RNA-seq analysis revealed transcription of the entire genome and differences from controls in the expression profiles of mitochondrial genes in the blood, but not in liver or brain, of animals infected with the zoonotic pathogen Borrelia hermsii. PCR and sequencing of the D-loop of the mitochondrion identified 32 different haplotypes among 118 wild P. leucopus at a Connecticut field site. These findings help to further establish P. leucopus as a model organism for studies of emerging infectious diseases, ecology, and in other disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan G Barbour
- Departments of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Hanjuan Shao
- Departments of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Vanessa J Cook
- Departments of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - James Baldwin-Brown
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Jean I Tsao
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Anthony D Long
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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Downs CJ, Schoenle LA, Han BA, Harrison JF, Martin LB. Scaling of Host Competence. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:182-192. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Hofmeester TR, Krawczyk AI, van Leeuwen AD, Fonville M, Montizaan MGE, van den Berge K, Gouwy J, Ruyts SC, Verheyen K, Sprong H. Role of mustelids in the life-cycle of ixodid ticks and transmission cycles of four tick-borne pathogens. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:600. [PMID: 30458847 PMCID: PMC6245527 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3126-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elucidating which wildlife species significantly contribute to the maintenance of Ixodes ricinus populations and the enzootic cycles of the pathogens they transmit is imperative in understanding the driving forces behind the emergence of tick-borne diseases. Here, we aimed to quantify the relative contribution of four mustelid species in the life-cycles of I. ricinus and Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) in forested areas and to investigate their role in the transmission of other tick-borne pathogens. Road-killed badgers, pine martens, stone martens and polecats were collected in Belgium and the Netherlands. Their organs and feeding ticks were tested for the presence of tick-borne pathogens. RESULTS Ixodes hexagonus and I. ricinus were found on half of the screened animals (n = 637). Pine martens had the highest I. ricinus burden, whereas polecats had the highest I. hexagonus burden. We detected DNA from B. burgdorferi (s.l.) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in organs of all four mustelid species (n = 789), and Neoehrlichia mikurensis DNA was detected in all species, except badgers. DNA from B. miyamotoi was not detected in any of the investigated mustelids. From the 15 larvae of I. ricinus feeding on pine martens (n = 44), only one was positive for B. miyamotoi DNA, and all tested negative for B. burgdorferi (s.l.), N. mikurensis and A. phagocytophilum. The two feeding larvae from the investigated polecats (n = 364) and stone martens (n = 39) were negative for all four pathogens. The infection rate of N. mikurensis was higher in feeding nymphs collected from mustelids compared to questing nymphs, but not for B. burgdorferi (s.l.), B. miyamotoi or A. phagocytophilum. CONCLUSIONS Although all stages of I. ricinus can be found on badgers, polecats, pine and stone martens, their relative contribution to the life-cycle of I. ricinus in forested areas is less than 1%. Consequently, the relative contribution of mustelids to the enzootic cycles of I. ricinus-borne pathogens is negligible, despite the presence of these pathogens in organs and feeding ticks. Interestingly, all four mustelid species carried all stages of I. hexagonus, potentially maintaining enzootic cycles of this tick species apart from the cycle involving hedgehogs as main host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim R Hofmeester
- Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands. .,Present address: Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd 17, 907 36, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Aleksandra I Krawczyk
- Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Arieke Docters van Leeuwen
- Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Manoj Fonville
- Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - Koen van den Berge
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Geraardsbergen, Belgium
| | - Jan Gouwy
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Geraardsbergen, Belgium
| | - Sanne C Ruyts
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Gontrode, Melle, Belgium
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest and Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Gontrode, Melle, Belgium
| | - Hein Sprong
- Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
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Abstract
Given the variable clinical signs attributed to Borrelia burgdorferi, including infectious arthritis, neurologic disease, and behavioral changes, B burgdorferi is an important differential for decreased performance in sport horses. The primary vectors (Ixodes tick species) are expanding their range and thus Borrelia species are located in a wider area, making exposure more likely. Due to regionally high seroprevalence and vague clinical signs, diagnosis of Lyme disease in the horse is believed overestimated. Antibiotics are first-line treatment of confirmed Lyme disease. A single positive serologic test, by itself, is not conformation of Lyme disease but is evidence of current or past infection.
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Abstract
Close interaction with nature can lead to tick-borne illnesses, which are seen most frequently in primary care clinics when patients present symptoms. Considerable morbidity can result from untreated infections. Fortunately, these illnesses are often easily managed when diagnosed early.
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Affiliation(s)
- George G A Pujalte
- Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
| | - Scott T Marberry
- Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Claudia R Libertin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road S, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
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Halsey SJ, Allan BF, Miller JR. The role of Ixodes scapularis, Borrelia burgdorferi and wildlife hosts in Lyme disease prevalence: A quantitative review. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9:1103-1114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Tufts DM, Diuk-Wasser MA. Transplacental transmission of tick-borne Babesia microti in its natural host Peromyscus leucopus. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:286. [PMID: 29728129 PMCID: PMC5935994 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2875-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Babesia microti is an emerging tick-borne pathogen and the causative agent of human babesiosis. Mathematical modeling of the reproductive rate of B. microti indicates that it cannot persist in nature by horizontal tick-host transmission alone. We hypothesized that transplacental transmission in the reservoir population contributes to B. microti persistence and emergence in North American rodent populations. Methods Peromyscus leucopus were collected from Connecticut and Block Island, Rhode Island and analyzed using a highly specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for infection with B. microti. Results In April, 100% (n = 103) of mice were infected with B. microti. Females exhibited significantly higher parasitemia than their offspring (P < 0.0001) and transplacental transmission was observed in 74.2% of embryos (n = 89). Transplacental transmission of B. microti is thus a viable and potentially important infectious pathway in naturally infected rodent species and should be considered in future theoretical and empirical studies. Conclusions To our knowledge, this study is the first to report transplacental transmission of B. microti occurring in its natural reservoir host, P. leucopus, in the United States and the only study that provides a quantitative estimate of parasitemia. This vector-independent pathway could contribute to the increased geographic range of B. microti or increase its abundance in endemic areas. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2875-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M Tufts
- Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Department, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Maria A Diuk-Wasser
- Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology Department, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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16
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Divers TJ, Gardner RB, Madigan JE, Witonsky SG, Bertone JJ, Swinebroad EL, Schutzer SE, Johnson AL. Borrelia burgdorferi Infection and Lyme Disease in North American Horses: A Consensus Statement. J Vet Intern Med 2018; 32:617-632. [PMID: 29469222 PMCID: PMC5866975 DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi infection is common in horses living in Lyme endemic areas and the geographic range for exposure is increasing. Morbidity after B. burgdorferi infection in horses is unknown. Documented, naturally occurring syndromes attributed to B. burgdorferi infection in horses include neuroborreliosis, uveitis, and cutaneous pseudolymphoma. Although other clinical signs such as lameness and stiffness are reported in horses, these are often not well documented. Diagnosis of Lyme disease is based on exposure to B. burgdorferi, cytology or histopathology of infected fluid or tissue and antigen detection. Treatment of Lyme disease in horses is similar to treatment of humans or small animals but treatment success might not be the same because of species differences in antimicrobial bioavailability and duration of infection before initiation of treatment. There are no approved equine label Lyme vaccines but there is strong evidence that proper vaccination could prevent infection in horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- T J Divers
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | | | - J E Madigan
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California - Davis, CA
| | - S G Witonsky
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Region CVM, Blacksburg, VA
| | - J J Bertone
- CVMm Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
| | | | - S E Schutzer
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
| | - A L Johnson
- Department of Clinical Studies, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA
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17
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Adalsteinsson SA, Shriver WG, Hojgaard A, Bowman JL, Brisson D, D’Amico V, Buler JJ. Multiflora rose invasion amplifies prevalence of Lyme disease pathogen, but not necessarily Lyme disease risk. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:54. [PMID: 29361971 PMCID: PMC5781316 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2623-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Forests in urban landscapes differ from their rural counterparts in ways that may alter vector-borne disease dynamics. In urban forest fragments, tick-borne pathogen prevalence is not well characterized; mitigating disease risk in densely-populated urban landscapes requires understanding ecological factors that affect pathogen prevalence. We trapped blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) nymphs in urban forest fragments on the East Coast of the United States and used multiplex real-time PCR assays to quantify the prevalence of four zoonotic, tick-borne pathogens. We used Bayesian logistic regression and WAIC model selection to understand how vegetation, habitat, and landscape features of urban forests relate to the prevalence of B. burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) among blacklegged ticks. RESULTS In the 258 nymphs tested, we detected Borrelia burgdorferi (11.2% of ticks), Borrelia miyamotoi (0.8%) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (1.9%), but we did not find Babesia microti (0%). Ticks collected from forests invaded by non-native multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) had greater B. burgdorferi infection rates (mean = 15.9%) than ticks collected from uninvaded forests (mean = 7.9%). Overall, B. burgdorferi prevalence among ticks was positively related to habitat features (e.g. coarse woody debris and total understory cover) favorable for competent reservoir host species. CONCLUSIONS Understory structure provided by non-native, invasive shrubs appears to aggregate ticks and reservoir hosts, increasing opportunities for pathogen transmission. However, when we consider pathogen prevalence among nymphs in context with relative abundance of questing nymphs, invasive plants do not necessarily increase disease risk. Although pathogen prevalence is greater among ticks in invaded forests, the probability of encountering an infected tick remains greater in uninvaded forests characterized by thick litter layers, sparse understories, and relatively greater questing tick abundance in urban landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solny A. Adalsteinsson
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE USA
- Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO USA
| | - W. Gregory Shriver
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE USA
| | - Andrias Hojgaard
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Jacob L. Bowman
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE USA
| | - Dustin Brisson
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Vincent D’Amico
- Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Newark, DE USA
| | - Jeffrey J. Buler
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE USA
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18
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Faust CL, Dobson AP, Gottdenker N, Bloomfield LSP, McCallum HI, Gillespie TR, Diuk-Wasser M, Plowright RK. Null expectations for disease dynamics in shrinking habitat: dilution or amplification? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0173. [PMID: 28438921 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As biodiversity declines with anthropogenic land-use change, it is increasingly important to understand how changing biodiversity affects infectious disease risk. The dilution effect hypothesis, which points to decreases in biodiversity as critical to an increase in infection risk, has received considerable attention due to the allure of a win-win scenario for conservation and human well-being. Yet some empirical data suggest that the dilution effect is not a generalizable phenomenon. We explore the response of pathogen transmission dynamics to changes in biodiversity that are driven by habitat loss using an allometrically scaled multi-host model. With this model, we show that declining habitat, and thus declining biodiversity, can lead to either increasing or decreasing infectious-disease risk, measured as endemic prevalence. Whether larger habitats, and thus greater biodiversity, lead to a decrease (dilution effect) or increase (amplification effect) in infection prevalence depends upon the pathogen transmission mode and how host competence scales with body size. Dilution effects were detected for most frequency-transmitted pathogens and amplification effects were detected for density-dependent pathogens. Amplification effects were also observed over a particular range of habitat loss in frequency-dependent pathogens when we assumed that host competence was greatest in large-bodied species. By contrast, only amplification effects were observed for density-dependent pathogens; host competency only affected the magnitude of the effect. These models can be used to guide future empirical studies of biodiversity-disease relationships across gradients of habitat loss. The type of transmission, the relationship between host competence and community assembly, the identity of hosts contributing to transmission, and how transmission scales with area are essential factors to consider when elucidating the mechanisms driving disease risk in shrinking habitat.This article is part of the themed issue 'Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina L Faust
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Andrew P Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Nicole Gottdenker
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Laura S P Bloomfield
- Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Hamish I McCallum
- Environmental Futures Research Institute and Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4222, Australia
| | - Thomas R Gillespie
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health; Program In Population, Biology, Ecology and Evolution; Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.,Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health; Program In Population, Biology, Ecology and Evolution; Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Maria Diuk-Wasser
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Raina K Plowright
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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19
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Estrada-Peña A, de la Fuente J. Host Distribution Does Not Limit the Range of the Tick Ixodes ricinus but Impacts the Circulation of Transmitted Pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:405. [PMID: 29085806 PMCID: PMC5649210 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks, pathogens, and vertebrates interact in a background of environmental features that regulate the densities of ticks and vertebrates, affecting their contact rates and thence the circulation of the pathogens. Regional scale studies are invaluable sources of information about the regulation of these interactions, but a large-scale analysis of the interaction of communities of ticks, hosts, and the environment has been never modeled. This study builds on network analysis, satellite-derived climate and vegetation, and environmental modeling, quantifying the interactions between the tick Ixodes ricinus and the transmitted bacteria of the complex Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in the Western Palaearctic. We derived the rates of contact of the tick with 162 species of vertebrates recorded as hosts, and the relative importance of each vertebrate in the circulation of the pathogen. We compiled more than 11 millions of pairs of coordinates of the vertebrates, deriving distribution models of each species and the relative faunal composition in the target territory. The results of the modeling of the distribution of the tick and its hosts, weighted by their importance in the circulation of Borrelia captured the spatial patterns of interactions that allow the circulation of the pathogen. Results indicate that both I. ricinus and B. burgdorferi s.l. are supported in the Western Palaearctic by complex communities of vertebrates, which have large distribution ranges. This high functional redundancy results in the pervasiveness of B. burgdorferi s.l., which depends on the gradient of contributions of the large community of vertebrates, instead of relying on a few dominant vertebrates, which was the prevailing paradigm. Most prominent reservoirs of the pathogen are distributed in specific regions of the environmental niche. However, literally dozens of potential reservoirs can colonize many other environmental regions, marginally but efficiently contributing to the circulation of the pathogen. These results consistently point to the need of evaluating the beta-diversity of the community of vertebrates acting as reservoirs of the pathogen to better know the interactions with the vector. They also demonstrate why the pathogen is so resilient to perturbations in the composition of the reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
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20
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Jensen PM, Christoffersen CS, Moutailler S, Michelet L, Klitgaard K, Bødker R. Transmission differentials for multiple pathogens as inferred from their prevalence in larva, nymph and adult of Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae). EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2017; 71:171-182. [PMID: 28255923 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-017-0110-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Ixodes ricinus serves as vector for a range of microorganisms capable of causing clinical illness in humans. The microorganisms occur in the same vector populations and are generally affected by the same tick-host interactions. Still, the instars have different host preferences which should manifest in different transmission patterns for various microorganisms in the tick populations, i.e., most microorganisms increase in prevalence rate from larvae to nymphs because their reservoirs are among small mammals and birds that serve as blood hosts for larvae. Other microorganisms, like Anaplasma phagocytophilum, mainly increase in prevalence rates from nymphs to adults, because their reservoirs are larger ungulates that serve as primary blood hosts for nymphs and adults. We sampled a representative sample of ticks from 12 locations on Zealand and Funen, Denmark, and investigated the differences in prevalence rate of infection in larvae, nymphs and adults for multiple pathogens. Prevalence of infection for larvae, nymphs and adults, respectively, was: 0, 1.5 and 4.5% for Borrelia burgdorferi; 0, 4.2 and 3.9% for Borrelia garinii; 0, 6.6 and 6.1% for Borrelia afzelii; 0, 0 and 0.6% for Borrelia valaisiana; 0, 3.7 and 0.6% for Borrelia spielmanii; 0, 0.7 and 1.2% for Babesia divergens; 0, 0, 0.6% for Babesia venatorum; 0, 1.5 and 6.1% for A. phagocytophilum. The results were in general compatible with the hypothesis i.e., that differences in blood host for larvae and nymphs define differences in transmission of infectious agents, but other factors than differences in blood hosts between larvae and nymphs may also be important to consider.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per M Jensen
- Department for Plant and Environment, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
| | - Christian S Christoffersen
- Department for Plant and Environment, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Sara Moutailler
- UMR BIPAR, ANSES, INRA, ENVA, 14 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94706, Maisons-Alfort Cedex, Paris, France
| | - Lorraine Michelet
- UMR BIPAR, ANSES, INRA, ENVA, 14 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94706, Maisons-Alfort Cedex, Paris, France
| | - Kirstine Klitgaard
- National Veterinary Institute, Danish Technical University, Bülowsvej 27, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Rene Bødker
- National Veterinary Institute, Danish Technical University, Bülowsvej 27, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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21
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Barbour AG. Infection resistance and tolerance in Peromyscus spp., natural reservoirs of microbes that are virulent for humans. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 61:115-122. [PMID: 27381345 PMCID: PMC5205561 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The widely-distributed North American species Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus of cricetine rodents are, between them, important natural reservoirs for several zoonotic diseases of humans: Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis, erhlichiosis, hard tickborne relapsing fever, Powassan virus encephalitis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and plague. While these infections are frequently disabling and sometimes fatal for humans, the peromyscines display little pathology and apparently suffer few consequences, even when prevalence of persistent infection in a population is high. While these Peromyscus spp. are unable to clear some of the infections, they appear to have partial resistance, which limits the burden of the pathogen. In addition, they display traits of infection tolerance, which reduces the damage of the infection. Research on these complementary resistance and tolerance phenomena in Peromyscus has relevance both for disease control measures targeting natural reservoirs and for understanding the mechanisms of the comparatively greater sickness of many humans with these and other infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan G Barbour
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, 843 Health Sciences Drive, Irvine, CA 92697-4028, USA.
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22
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Estrada-Peña A, Sprong H, Cabezas-Cruz A, de la Fuente J, Ramo A, Coipan EC. Nested coevolutionary networks shape the ecological relationships of ticks, hosts, and the Lyme disease bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) complex. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:517. [PMID: 27662832 PMCID: PMC5035442 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1803-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) (BBG) complex constitute a group of tick-transmitted pathogens that are linked to many vertebrate and tick species. The ecological relationships between the pathogens, the ticks and the vertebrate carriers have not been analysed. The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyse these interactions by creating a network based on a large dataset of associations. Specifically, we examined the relative positions of partners in the network, the phylogenetic diversity of the tick’s hosts and its impact on BBG circulation. The secondary aim was to evaluate the segregation of BBG strains in different vectors and reservoirs. Results BBG circulates through a nested recursive network of ticks and vertebrates that delineate closed clusters. Each cluster contains generalist ticks with high values of centrality as well as specialist ticks that originate nested sub-networks and that link secondary vertebrates to the cluster. These results highlighted the importance of host phylogenetic diversity for ticks in the circulation of BBG, as this diversity was correlated with high centrality values for the ticks. The ticks and BBG species in each cluster were not significantly associated with specific branches of the phylogeny of host genera (R2 = 0.156, P = 0.784 for BBG; R2 = 0.299, P = 0.699 for ticks). A few host genera had higher centrality values and thus higher importance for BBG circulation. However, the combined contribution of hosts with low centrality values could maintain active BBG foci. The results suggested that ticks do not share strains of BBG, which were highly segregated among sympatric species of ticks. Conclusions We conclude that BBG circulation is supported by a highly redundant network. This network includes ticks with high centrality values and high host phylogenetic diversity as well as ticks with low centrality values. This promotes ecological sub-networks and reflects the high resilience of BBG circulation. The functional redundancy in BBG circulation reduces disturbances due to the removal of vertebrates as it allows ticks to fill other biotic niches. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1803-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet, 177, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Hein Sprong
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille (CIIL), INSERM U1019 - CNRS UMR 8204, Université Lille Nord de France, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Ana Ramo
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet, 177, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Elena Claudia Coipan
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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23
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Estrada-Peña A, de la Fuente J. Species interactions in occurrence data for a community of tick-transmitted pathogens. Sci Data 2016; 3:160056. [PMID: 27479213 PMCID: PMC4968194 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2016.56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between tick species, their realized range of hosts, the pathogens they carry and transmit, and the geographic distribution of species in the Western Palearctic were determined based on evidence published between 1970-2014. These relationships were linked to remotely sensed features of temperature and vegetation and used to extract the network of interactions among the organisms. The resulting datasets focused on niche overlap among ticks and hosts, species interactions, and the fraction of the environmental niche in which tick-borne pathogens may circulate as a result of interactions and overlapping environmental traits. The resulting datasets provide a valuable resource for researchers interested in tick-borne pathogens, as they conciliate the abiotic and biotic sides of their niche, allowing exploration of the importance of each host species acting as a vertebrate reservoir in the circulation of tick-transmitted pathogens in the environmental niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Estrada-Peña
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50013-Zaragoza, Spain
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA
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24
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Mechai S, Margos G, Feil EJ, Barairo N, Lindsay LR, Michel P, Ogden NH. Evidence for Host-Genotype Associations of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149345. [PMID: 26901761 PMCID: PMC4763156 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Different genotypes of the agent of Lyme disease in North America, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, show varying degrees of pathogenicity in humans. This variation in pathogenicity correlates with phylogeny and we have hypothesized that the different phylogenetic lineages in North America reflect adaptation to different host species. In this study, evidence for host species associations of B. burgdorferi genotypes was investigated using 41 B. burgdorferi-positive samples from five mammal species and 50 samples from host-seeking ticks collected during the course of field studies in four regions of Canada: Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes. The B. burgdorferi genotypes in the samples were characterized using three established molecular markers (multi-locus sequence typing [MLST], 16S-23S rrs-rrlA intergenic spacer, and outer surface protein C sequence [ospC] major groups). Correspondence analysis and generalized linear mixed effect models revealed significant associations between B. burgdorferi genotypes and host species (in particular chipmunks, and white-footed mice and deer mice), supporting the hypotheses that host adaptation contributes to the phylogenetic structure and possibly the observed variation in pathogenicity in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Mechai
- Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Gabriele Margos
- National Reference Centre for Borrelia, Oberschleissheim, Germany
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Edward J. Feil
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole Barairo
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - L. Robbin Lindsay
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Pascal Michel
- Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Nicholas H. Ogden
- Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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25
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Multi-trophic interactions driving the transmission cycle of Borrelia afzelii between Ixodes ricinus and rodents: a review. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:643. [PMID: 26684199 PMCID: PMC4684625 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1257-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The tick Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causal agent of Lyme borreliosis, in the western Palearctic. Rodents are the reservoir host of B. afzelii, which can be transmitted to I. ricinus larvae during a blood meal. The infected engorged larvae moult into infected nymphs, which can transmit the spirochaetes to rodents and humans. Interestingly, even though only about 1 % of the larvae develop into a borreliae-infected nymph, the enzootic borreliae lifecycle can persist. The development from larva to infected nymph is a key aspect in this lifecycle, influencing the density of infected nymphs and thereby Lyme borreliosis risk. The density of infected nymphs varies temporally and geographically and is influenced by multi-trophic (tick-host-borreliae) interactions. For example, blood feeding success of ticks and spirochaete transmission success differ between rodent species and host-finding success appears to be affected by a B. afzelii infection in both the rodent and the tick. In this paper, we review the major interactions between I. ricinus, rodents and B. afzelii that influence this development, with the aim to elucidate the critical factors that determine the epidemiological risk of Lyme borreliosis. The effects of the tick, rodent and B. afzelii on larval host finding, larval blood feeding, spirochaete transmission from rodent to larva and development from larva to nymph are discussed. Nymphal host finding, nymphal blood feeding and spirochaete transmission from nymph to rodent are the final steps to complete the enzootic B. afzelii lifecycle and are included in the review. It is concluded that rodent density, rodent infection prevalence, and tick burden are the major factors affecting the development from larva to infected nymph and that these interact with each other. We suggest that the B. afzelii lifecycle is dependent on the aggregation of ticks among rodents, which is manipulated by the pathogen itself. Better understanding of the processes involved in the development and aggregation of ticks results in more precise estimates of the density of infected nymphs, and hence predictions of Lyme borreliosis risk.
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