1
|
Liu L, Sonenshine DE, Sultana H, Neelakanta G. Identification of a rickettsial endosymbiont in a soft tick Ornithodoros turicata americanus. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278582. [PMID: 36473013 PMCID: PMC9725135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbionts are abundantly found in both hard and soft ticks. Occidentia massiliensis, a rickettsial endosymbiont, was first identified in the soft tick Ornithodoros sonrai collected from Senegal and later was identified in a hard tick Africaniella transversale. In this study, we noted the presence of Occidentia species, designated as Occidentia-like species, in a soft tick O. turicata americanus. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the two genetic markers, 16S rRNA and groEL confirmed the presence of Occidentia-like species in O. turicata americanus ticks. The Occidentia-like species was noted to be present in all developmental stages of O. turicata americanus and in different tick tissues including ovaries, synganglion, guts and salivary gland. The levels of Occidentia-like species 16S rRNA transcripts were noted to be significantly higher in ovaries than in a gut tissue. In addition, Occidentia-like species groEL expression was noted to be significantly higher in tick synganglion than in ovaries and gut tissues. Furthermore, levels of Occidentia-like species 16S rRNA transcripts increased significantly upon O. turicata americanus blood feeding. Taken together, our study not only shows that Occidentia-like species is present in O. turicata americanus but also suggests that this bacterium may play a role in tick-bacteria interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lichao Liu
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Daniel E. Sonenshine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States of America
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States of America
| | - Hameeda Sultana
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
| | - Girish Neelakanta
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kumar D, Sharma SR, Adegoke A, Kennedy A, Tuten HC, Li AY, Karim S. Recently Evolved Francisella-Like Endosymbiont Outcompetes an Ancient and Evolutionarily Associated Coxiella-Like Endosymbiont in the Lone Star Tick ( Amblyomma americanum) Linked to the Alpha-Gal Syndrome. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:787209. [PMID: 35493735 PMCID: PMC9039623 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.787209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ticks are hematophagous arthropods that transmit various bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens of public health significance. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) is an aggressive human-biting tick that transmits bacterial and viral pathogens, and its bites are suspected of eliciting the alpha-gal syndrome, a newly emerged delayed hypersensitivity following consumption of red meat in the United States. While ongoing studies have attempted to investigate the contribution of different tick-inherent factors to the induction of alpha-gal syndrome, an otherwise understudied aspect is the contribution of the tick microbiome and specifically obligate endosymbionts to the establishment of the alpha-gal syndrome in humans. Materials and Methods Here we utilized a high-throughput metagenomic sequencing approach to cataloging the entire microbial communities residing within different developmental stages and tissues of unfed and blood-fed ticks from laboratory-maintained ticks and three new geographical locations in the United States. The Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME2) pipeline was used to perform data analysis and taxonomic classification. Moreover, using a SparCC (Sparse Correlations for Compositional data) network construction model, we investigated potential interactions between members of the microbial communities from laboratory-maintained and field-collected ticks. Results Overall, Francisellaceae was the most dominant bacteria identified in the microbiome of both laboratory-raised and field-collected Am. americanum across all tissues and developmental stages. Likewise, microbial diversity was seen to be significantly higher in field-collected ticks compared with laboratory-maintained ticks as seen with a higher number of both Operational Taxonomic Units and measures of species richness. Several potential positive and negative correlations were identified from our network analysis. We observed a strong positive correlation between Francisellaceae, Rickettsiaceae, and Midichloriaceae in both developmental stages and tissues from laboratory-maintained ticks, whereas ovarian tissues had a strong positive correlation of bacteria in the family Xanthobacteraceae and Rhizobiaceae. A negative interaction was observed between Coxiellaceae and Francisellaceae in Illinois, and all the bacteria detected from ticks from Delaware were negatively correlated. Conclusion This study is the first to catalog the microbiome of Am. americanum throughout its developmental stages and different tissue niches and report the potential replacement of Coxiellaceae by Francisellaceae across developmental stages and tissues tested except in ovarian tissues. These unique and significant findings advance our knowledge and open a new avenue of research to further understand the role of tick microbiome in tick-borne diseases and develop a holistic strategy to control alpha-gal syndrome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Surendra Raj Sharma
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Abdulsalam Adegoke
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Ashley Kennedy
- Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, Delaware Mosquito Control Sect., Newark, DE, United States
| | - Holly C. Tuten
- Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Andrew Y. Li
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Shahid Karim
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hussain S, Perveen N, Hussain A, Song B, Aziz MU, Zeb J, Li J, George D, Cabezas-Cruz A, Sparagano O. The Symbiotic Continuum Within Ticks: Opportunities for Disease Control. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:854803. [PMID: 35369485 PMCID: PMC8969565 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.854803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Among blood-sucking arthropods, ticks are recognized as being of prime global importance because of their role as vectors of pathogens affecting human and animal health. Ticks carry a variety of pathogenic, commensal, and symbiotic microorganisms. For the latter, studies are available concerning the detection of endosymbionts, but their role in the physiology and ecology of ticks remains largely unexplored. This review paper focuses on tick endosymbionts of the genera Coxiella, Rickettsia, Francisella, Midichloria, and Wolbachia, and their impact on ticks and tick-pathogen interactions that drive disease risk. Tick endosymbionts can affect tick physiology by influencing nutritional adaptation, fitness, and immunity. Further, symbionts may influence disease ecology, as they interact with tick-borne pathogens and can facilitate or compete with pathogen development within the vector tissues. Rickettsial symbionts are frequently found in ticks of the genera of Ixodes, Amblyomma, and Dermacentor with relatively lower occurrence in Rhipicephalus, Haemaphysalis, and Hyalomma ticks, while Coxiella-like endosymbionts (CLEs) were reported infecting almost all tick species tested. Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) have been identified in tick genera such as Dermacentor, Amblyomma, Ornithodoros, Ixodes, and Hyalomma, whereas Wolbachia sp. has been detected in Ixodes, Amblyomma, Hyalomma, and Rhipicephalus tick genera. Notably, CLEs and FLEs are obligate endosymbionts essential for tick survival and development through the life cycle. American dog ticks showed greater motility when infected with Rickettsia, indirectly influencing infection risk, providing evidence of a relationship between tick endosymbionts and tick-vectored pathogens. The widespread occurrence of endosymbionts across the tick phylogeny and evidence of their functional roles in ticks and interference with tick-borne pathogens suggests a significant contribution to tick evolution and/or vector competence. We currently understand relatively little on how these endosymbionts influence tick parasitism, vector capacity, pathogen transmission and colonization, and ultimately on how they influence tick-borne disease dynamics. Filling this knowledge gap represents a major challenge for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabir Hussain
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Nighat Perveen
- Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Abrar Hussain
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Baolin Song
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Muhammad Umair Aziz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jehan Zeb
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - David George
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Olivier Sparagano
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bonnet SI, Pollet T. Update on the intricate tango between tick microbiomes and tick-borne pathogens. Parasite Immunol 2020; 43:e12813. [PMID: 33314216 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The recent development of high-throughput NGS technologies, (ie, next-generation sequencing) has highlighted the complexity of tick microbial communities-which include pathogens, symbionts, and commensals-and also their dynamic variability. Symbionts and commensals can confer crucial and diverse benefits to their hosts, playing nutritional roles or affecting fitness, development, nutrition, reproduction, defence against environmental stress and immunity. Nonpathogenic tick bacteria may also play a role in modifying tick-borne pathogen colonization and transmission, as relationships between microorganisms existing together in one environment can be competitive, exclusive, facilitating or absent, with many potential implications for both human and animal health. Consequently, ticks represent a compelling yet challenging system in which to investigate the composition and both the functional and ecological implications of tick bacterial communities, and thus merits greater attention. Ultimately, deciphering the relationships between microorganisms carried by ticks as well as symbiont-tick interactions will garner invaluable information, which may aid in some future arthropod-pest and vector-borne pathogen transmission control strategies. This review outlines recent research on tick microbiome composition and dynamics, highlights elements favouring the reciprocal influence of the tick microbiome and tick-borne agents and finally discusses how ticks and tick-borne diseases might potentially be controlled through tick microbiome manipulation in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Irène Bonnet
- UMR BIPAR 0956, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, ANSES, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sperling J, MacDonald Z, Normandeau J, Merrill E, Sperling F, Magor K. Within-population diversity of bacterial microbiomes in winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus). Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 11:101535. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
6
|
Zellner B, Huntley JF. Ticks and Tularemia: Do We Know What We Don't Know? Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:146. [PMID: 31139576 PMCID: PMC6517804 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia, is characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates in over 190 different mammalian species, including humans. Based on its low infectious dose, multiple routes of infection, and ability to induce rapid and lethal disease, F. tularensis has been recognized as a severe public health threat—being designated as a NIH Category A Priority Pathogen and a CDC Tier 1 Select Agent. Despite concerns over its use as a bioweapon, most U.S. tularemia cases are tick-mediated and ticks are believed to be the major environmental reservoir for F. tularensis in the U.S. The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) has been reported to be the primary tick vector for F. tularensis, but the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and other tick species also have been shown to harbor F. tularensis. This review highlights what is known, not known, and is debated, about the roles of different tick species as environmental reservoirs and transmission vectors for a variety of F. tularensis genotypes/strains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Briana Zellner
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Jason F Huntley
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
Xenodiagnosis is the use of a natural vector to detect the presence of an organism, and xenodiagnosis using Ixodes ticks has long been used by entomologists in Lyme disease research to provide evidence of the host's infectious status with Borrelia burgdorferi. We developed the methodology and performed the first human research study using uninfected larval Ixodes scapularis ticks to assess evidence of B. burgdorferi infection. Here, we describe in detail the methodology used for the procedure. Xenodiagnosis using Ixodes ticks in humans remains an experimental method and must be performed under an approved clinical research protocol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siu-Ping Turk
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive BG 10 RM 12C118 MSC 1899, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1899, USA
| | - Carla Williams
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., NCI-Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Adriana Marques
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive BG 10 RM 12C118 MSC 1899, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1899, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lohr B, Fingerle V, Norris DE, Hunfeld KP. Laboratory diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis: Current state of the art and future perspectives. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2018; 55:219-245. [PMID: 29606016 DOI: 10.1080/10408363.2018.1450353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This review is directed at physicians and laboratory personnel in private practice and clinics who treat and diagnose Lyme borreliosis (LB) in patients as part of their daily work. A major objective of this paper is to bring together background information on Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and basic clinical knowledge of LB, which is one of the most frequently reported vector-borne diseases in the Northern Hemisphere. The goal is to provide practical guidance for clinicians and for laboratory physicians, and scientists for a better understanding of current achievements and ongoing obstacles in the laboratory diagnosis of LB, an infectious disease that still remains one of the diagnostic chameleons of modern clinical medicine. Moreover, in bringing together current scientific information from guidelines, reviews, and original papers, this review provides recommendations for selecting the appropriate tests in relation to the patient's stage of disease to achieve effective, stage-related application of current direct and indirect laboratory methods for the detection of B. burgdorferi s.l. Additionally, the review aims to discuss the current state of the art concerning the diagnostic potential and limitations of the assays and test methods currently in use to optimize LB patient management and provide insight into the possible future prospects of this rapidly changing area of laboratory medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Lohr
- a Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology & Infection Control , Northwest Medical Centre, Medical Faculty, Goethe University , Frankfurt/Main , Germany
| | - Volker Fingerle
- b Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LGL) , Oberschleissheim , Germany
| | - Douglas E Norris
- c W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology , Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Klaus-Peter Hunfeld
- a Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology & Infection Control , Northwest Medical Centre, Medical Faculty, Goethe University , Frankfurt/Main , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Varela-Stokes AS, Park SH, Stokes JV, Gavron NA, Lee SI, Moraru GM, Ricke SC. Tick microbial communities within enriched extracts of Amblyomma maculatum. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018. [PMID: 29530467 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Our objective of this study was to explore the bacterial microbiome in fresh or fresh-frozen adult Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast ticks) using extracts enriched for microbial DNA. We collected 100 questing adult A. maculatum, surface disinfected them, and extracted DNA from individual ticks collected the same day or after storage at -80 °C. Because only extracts with microbial DNA concentrations above 2 ng/μL were considered suitable for individual analysis, we expected fewer samples to meet these requirements. Of individual ticks extracted, 48 extracts met this minimum concentration. We pooled 20 additional extracts that had lower concentrations to obtain seven additional pools that met the minimum DNA concentration. Libraries created from these 55 samples were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform, and data sets were analyzed using QIIME to identify relative abundance of microorganisms by phylum down to genus levels. Proteobacteria were in greatest abundance, followed by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, at levels between 1.9% and 6.4% average relative abundance. Consistent with the Francisella-like endosymbiont known to be present in A. maculatum, the genus Francisella was detected at highest relative abundance (72.9%; SE 0.02%) for all samples. Among the top ten genera identified (relative abundance ≥ 0.5%) were potential extraction kit contaminants, Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium, the soil bacterium Actinomycetospora, and the known A. maculatum-associated genus, Rickettsia. Four samples had Rickettsia at greater than 1% relative abundance, while nine additional samples had Rickettsia at low (0.01-0.04%) relative abundance. In this study, we used the entire microbe-enriched DNA extract for whole ticks for microbiome analysis. A direct comparison of the microbiome in microbe-enriched DNA and total genomic DNA extracts from halves of the same tick would be useful to determine the utility of this extraction method in this system. We anticipate that future tick microbiome studies will be valuable to explore the influence of microbial diversity on pathogen maintenance and transmission, and to evaluate niche-specific microbiomes within individual tick tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A S Varela-Stokes
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, United States.
| | - S H Park
- Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, United States
| | - J V Stokes
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, United States
| | - N A Gavron
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, United States
| | - S I Lee
- Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, United States; Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, United States
| | - G M Moraru
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, United States
| | - S C Ricke
- Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, United States; Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Kubiak K, Sielawa H, Chen W, Dzika E. Endosymbiosis and its significance in dermatology. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2017; 32:347-354. [PMID: 29194776 DOI: 10.1111/jdv.14721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Proposed at the beginning of the twentieth century to explain the origin of eukaryotic organelles from prokaryotes, endosymbiosis is now medically defined by various interaction patterns between microorganisms and their residing hosts, best exemplified by the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia identified in arthropods and filarial nematodes, which can influence normal development, reproduction, survival and transmission of the hosts. Based on the transmission modes, vertical or horizontal, and the function of the endosymbionts, the host-symbiont dependence can be divided into primary or secondary. In dermatology, the role of endosymbionts in skin ectoparasitosis has aroused great interests in the past years. Riesia pediculicola is a primary bacterial endosymbiont in body lice Pediculus humanus, and supplement their hosts with vitamin B, especially pantothenic acid. In cimicosis, the Gram-negative Wolbachia can synthesize biotin and riboflavin, which are crucial for the growth and reproduction of the bedbug Cimex lectularius. In human demodicosis and rosacea, further study is required to prove the pathogenic role of the Gram-negative bacteria Bacillus oleronius or the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus demonstrated in the Demodex mites. The high infection rate of adult female ticks Ixodes ricinus with the Gram-negative bacteria Midichloria mitochondrii present in the mitochondria in diverse ovarian cells, with the high seroprevalence rate in tick-exposed subjects, raises the possibility that this non-pathogenic endosymbiont may play a role in immune response and successful transmission of the tick-borne pathogen. The anaerobic protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis and bacteria Mycoplasma hominis are two obligate parasites in the urogenital epithelium, with partially overlapping symptoms. Intracellular localization of Mycoplasma hominis can avoid host immune response and penetration of antibiotics, while Trichomonas vaginalis infected with Mycoplasma hominis seems to have a higher cytopathic activity and amoeboid transformation rate. Further study on the biology and pathogenesis of different endosymbionts in dermatological parasitosis will help for the development of new treatment modalities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Kubiak
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Warmia and Mazury University, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - H Sielawa
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Warmia and Mazury University, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - W Chen
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - E Dzika
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Warmia and Mazury University, Olsztyn, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Stańczak J, Biernat B, Racewicz M, Zalewska M, Matyjasek A. Prevalence of different Rickettsia spp. in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in north-eastern Poland. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2017; 9:427-434. [PMID: 29290582 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In two surveys conducted in April and May 2013, a total of 1148 unfed ticks belonging to two species, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus, were collected by flagging lower vegetation in 15 different localities throughout the Białowieża Primeval Forest (Podlaskie voivodship; north-eastern Poland) and in its buffer zone. In order to establish their infection rate with Rickettsia spp. individual adult ticks and pooled nymphs were tested by real-time PCR targeting the gltA gene. For the further identification of rickettsial species, positive samples were subjected for nested and semi-nested PCR targeting ompA and 16S rRNA genes, respectively, followed by sequencing analysis. Rickettsial DNA was detected in at least 279 ticks (minimum infection rate [MIR], 23.9%), including 52 nymphal and adult I. ricinus (MIR 8.6%) and 222 adult D. reticulatus (41%). Three species of SFG rickettsiae were identified: Rickettsia helvetica and 'Candidatus R. mendelii' in I. ricinus and R. raoultii in D. reticulatus and I. ricinus. Moreover, unidentified Rickettsia spp. which showed 99.4% identity, among others, with the uncultured Rickettsia sp. isolated from Cicadella viridis leafhopper, Rickettsia endosymbiont of Lasioglossum semilucens bee and R. bellii, were detected in I. ricinus, while Rickettsia sp. 98.3-98.4% homologous to Rickettsia secondary endosymbionts of Curculio spp. weevils was found in D. reticulatus. These results confirm the diversity of rickettsiae occurring in Poland. Further studies are needed to expand the knowledge on the species spectrum, prevalence and epidemiology of SFG rickettsiae in the country.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Stańczak
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Powstania Styczniowego 9 B str., 81-519 Gdynia, Poland.
| | - Beata Biernat
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Powstania Styczniowego 9 B str., 81-519 Gdynia, Poland
| | - Maria Racewicz
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Powstania Styczniowego 9 B str., 81-519 Gdynia, Poland
| | - Marta Zalewska
- Department of Environmental Hazards Prevention and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1a str., 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Matyjasek
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Powstania Styczniowego 9 B str., 81-519 Gdynia, Poland; Chair and Clinic of Internal Medicine, Connective Tissue Diseases and Geriatrics, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7 str., 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Honig V, Carolan HE, Vavruskova Z, Massire C, Mosel MR, Crowder CD, Rounds MA, Ecker DJ, Ruzek D, Grubhoffer L, Luft BJ, Eshoo MW. Broad-range survey of vector-borne pathogens and tick host identification of Ixodes ricinus from Southern Czech Republic. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2017; 93:4331634. [PMID: 29029144 PMCID: PMC5812510 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [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: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ixodes ricinus ticks are vectors of numerous human and animal pathogens. They are host generalists able to feed on more than 300 vertebrate species. The prevalence of tick-borne pathogens is influenced by host-vector-pathogen interactions that results in spatial distribution of infection risk. Broad-range polymerase chain reaction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) was used to analyze 435 I. ricinus nymphs from four localities in the south of the Czech Republic for the species identification of tick-borne pathogens. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes were the most common pathogen detected in the ticks; 21% of ticks were positive for a single genospecies and 2% were co-infected with two genospecies. Other tick-borne pathogens detected included Rickettsia helvetica (3.9%), R. monacensis (0.2%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (2.8%), Babesia venatorum (0.9%), and Ba. microti (0.5%). The vertebrate host of the ticks was determined using PCR followed by reverse line blot hybridization from the tick's blood-meal remnants. The host was identified for 61% of ticks. DNA of two hosts was detected in 16% of samples with successful host identification. The majority of ticks had fed on artiodactyls (50.7%) followed by rodents (28.6%) and birds (7.8%). Other host species were wild boar, deer, squirrels, field mice and voles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vaclav Honig
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Virology, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Heather E. Carolan
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| | - Zuzana Vavruskova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Christian Massire
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| | - Michael R. Mosel
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| | - Christopher D. Crowder
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| | - Megan A. Rounds
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| | - David J. Ecker
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| | - Daniel Ruzek
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Virology, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Libor Grubhoffer
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Benjamin J. Luft
- Department of Medicine, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8166, USA
| | - Mark W. Eshoo
- Ibis Biosciences Inc., Abbott Laboratories, 2251 Faraday Ave, Ste 150, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Varela-Stokes AS, Park SH, Kim SA, Ricke SC. Microbial Communities in North American Ixodid Ticks of Veterinary and Medical Importance. Front Vet Sci 2017; 4:179. [PMID: 29104867 PMCID: PMC5654947 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Interest in microbial communities, or microbiota, of blood-feeding arthropods such as ticks (order Parasitiformes, suborder Ixodida) is increasing. Studies on tick microorganisms historically emphasized pathogens of high medical or veterinary importance. Current techniques allow for simultaneous detection of pathogens of interest, non-pathogenic symbionts, like Coxiella-LE and Francisella-LE, and microorganisms of unknown pathogenic potential. While each generation of ticks begins with a maternally acquired repertoire of microorganisms, microhabitats off and on vertebrate hosts can alter the microbiome during the life cycle. Further, blood-feeding may allow for horizontal exchange of various pathogenic microbiota that may or may not also be capable of vertical transmission. Thus, the tick microbiome may be in constant flux. The geographical spread of tick vector populations has resulted in a broader appreciation of tick-borne diseases and tick-associated microorganisms. Over the last decade, next-generation sequencing technology targeting the 16S rRNA gene led to documented snapshots of bacterial communities among life stages of laboratory and field-collected ticks, ticks in various feeding states, and tick tissues. Characterizing tick bacterial communities at population and individual tissue levels may lead to identification of markers for pathogen maintenance, and thus, indicators of disease “potential” rather than disease state. Defining the role of microbiota within the tick may lead to novel control measures targeting tick-bacterial interactions. Here, we review our current understanding of microbial communities for some vectors in the family Ixodidae (hard ticks) in North America, and interpret published findings for audiences in veterinary and medical fields with an appreciation of tick-borne disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Varela-Stokes
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, United States
| | - Si Hong Park
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Sun Ae Kim
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Steven C Ricke
- Department of Food Science, Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gurfield N, Grewal S, Cua LS, Torres PJ, Kelley ST. Endosymbiont interference and microbial diversity of the Pacific coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis, in San Diego County, California. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3202. [PMID: 28503372 PMCID: PMC5426561 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Pacific coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis Marx, is found throughout California and can harbor agents that cause human diseases such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and rickettsiosis 364D. Previous studies have demonstrated that nonpathogenic endosymbiotic bacteria can interfere with Rickettsia co-infections in other tick species. We hypothesized that within D. occidentalis ticks, interference may exist between different nonpathogenic endosymbiotic or nonendosymbiotic bacteria and Spotted Fever group Rickettsia (SFGR). Using PCR amplification and sequencing of the rompA gene and intergenic region we identified a cohort of SFGR-infected and non-infected D. occidentalis ticks collected from San Diego County. We then amplified a partial segment of the 16S rRNA gene and used next-generation sequencing to elucidate the microbiomes and levels of co-infection in the ticks. The SFGR R. philipii str. 364D and R. rhipicephali were detected in 2.3% and 8.2% of the ticks, respectively, via rompA sequencing. Interestingly, next generation sequencing revealed an inverse relationship between the number of Francisella-like endosymbiont (FLE) 16S rRNA sequences and Rickettsia 16S rRNA sequences within individual ticks that is consistent with partial interference between FLE and SFGR infecting ticks. After excluding the Rickettsia and FLE endosymbionts from the analysis, there was a small but significant difference in microbial community diversity and a pattern of geographic isolation by distance between collection locales. In addition, male ticks had a greater diversity of bacteria than female ticks and ticks that weren’t infected with SFGR had similar microbiomes to canine skin microbiomes. Although experimental studies are required for confirmation, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that FLEs and, to a lesser extent, other bacteria, interfere with the ability of D. occidentalis to be infected with certain SFGR. The results also raise interesting possibilities about the effects of putative vertebrate hosts on the tick microbiome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Gurfield
- Department of Environmental Health-Vector Control Program, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Saran Grewal
- Department of Environmental Health-Vector Control Program, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Lynnie S Cua
- Department of Environmental Health-Vector Control Program, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Pedro J Torres
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Scott T Kelley
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Moreira-Soto RD, Moreira-Soto A, Corrales-Aguilar E, Calderón-Arguedas Ó, Troyo A. 'Candidatus Rickettsia nicoyana': A novel Rickettsia species isolated from Ornithodoros knoxjonesi in Costa Rica. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2017; 8:532-536. [PMID: 28268195 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Rickettsiae are intracellular bacteria commonly associated with hematophagous arthropods. Most of them have been described in hard ticks, but some have been found in soft ticks. Here we report the detection and isolation of a new Rickettsia from Ornithodoros knoxjonesi larvae collected from Balantiopteryx plicata (Emballonuridae) in Nicoya, Costa Rica. Two ticks were processed to detect Rickettsia spp. genes gltA, ompA, ompB, and htrA by PCR. Part of the macerate was also inoculated into Vero E6 and C6/36 cell lines, and cells were evaluated by Giménez stain, indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), and PCR. Both ticks were positive by PCR and rickettsial growth was successful in Vero E6 cells. Amplification and sequencing of near full length rrs, gltA, sca4 genes, and fragments of ompA and ompB showed that the Rickettsia sp. was different from described species. The highest homologies were with 'Candidatus Rickettsia wissemanii' and Rickettsia peacockii: 99.70% (1321/1325) with both sequences for rrs, 99.58% (1172/1177) and 99.76% (1246/1249) for gltA, 99.26% with both sequences (2948/2970 and 2957/2979) for sca4, 98.78% (485/491) and 98.39% (2069/2115) for ompA, and 98.58 (1453/1474) and 98.92% (1459/1475) for ompB; respectively. Bat blood, spleen, liver, and lung samples analyzed for Rickettsia detection were negative. Results demonstrate that the Rickettsia isolated from O. knoxjonesi is probably an undescribed species that belongs to the spotted fever group, for which 'Candidatus Rickettsia nicoyana' is proposed. Considering that B. plicata inhabits areas where contact with humans may occur and that human parasitism by Ornithodoros has been reported in the country, it will be important to continue with the characterization of this species and its pathogenic potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rolando D Moreira-Soto
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Centro de Investigación en Estructuras Microscópicas (CIEMIC), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Andrés Moreira-Soto
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Eugenia Corrales-Aguilar
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Ólger Calderón-Arguedas
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Adriana Troyo
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Grandeur Alliances: Symbiont Metabolic Integration and Obligate Arthropod Hematophagy. Trends Parasitol 2016; 32:739-749. [PMID: 27236581 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Several arthropod taxa live exclusively on vertebrate blood. This food source lacks essential metabolites required for the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, and as such, these arthropods have formed symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes that facilitate their host's 'hematophagous' feeding ecology. Herein we highlight metabolic contributions of bacterial symbionts that reside within tsetse flies, bed bugs, lice, reduviid bugs, and ticks, with specific emphasis on B vitamin and cofactor biosynthesis. Importantly, these arthropods can transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary relevance and/or cause infestations that induce psychological and dermatological distress. Microbial metabolites, and the biochemical pathways that generate them, can serve as specific targets of novel control mechanisms aimed at disrupting the metabolism of hematophagous arthropods, thus combatting pest invasion and vector-borne pathogen transmission.
Collapse
|
17
|
Duron O, Sidi-Boumedine K, Rousset E, Moutailler S, Jourdain E. The Importance of Ticks in Q Fever Transmission: What Has (and Has Not) Been Demonstrated? Trends Parasitol 2015; 31:536-552. [PMID: 26458781 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Q fever is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a ubiquitous intracellular bacterium infecting humans and a variety of animals. Transmission is primarily but not exclusively airborne, and ticks are usually thought to act as vectors. We argue that, although ticks may readily transmit C. burnetii in experimental systems, they only occasionally transmit the pathogen in the field. Furthermore, we underscore that many Coxiella-like bacteria are widespread in ticks and may have been misidentified as C. burnetii. Our recommendation is to improve the methods currently used to detect and characterize C. burnetii, and we propose that further knowledge of Coxiella-like bacteria will yield new insights into Q fever evolutionary ecology and C. burnetii virulence factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Duron
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Unité Mixte de Recherche UMR 5290, Université Montpellier 1 - Université Montpellier 2 - Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement, Unité de Recherche UR 224, Montpellier, France
| | - Karim Sidi-Boumedine
- Anses, Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory, Animal Q fever Unit, Sophia-Antipolis, France
| | - Elodie Rousset
- Anses, Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory, Animal Q fever Unit, Sophia-Antipolis, France
| | - Sara Moutailler
- UMR Biologie Moléculaire et Immunologie Parasitaires et Fongiques (BIPAR), Laboratoire Santé Animale, ANSES, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort (ENVA), Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Elsa Jourdain
- Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, UR 0346 INRA, Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Eshoo MW, Crowder CD, Carolan HE, Rounds MA, Ecker DJ, Haag H, Mothes B, Nolte O. Broad-range survey of tick-borne pathogens in Southern Germany reveals a high prevalence of Babesia microti and a diversity of other tick-borne pathogens. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2015; 14:584-91. [PMID: 25072989 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2013.1498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract Ticks harbor numerous pathogens of significance to human and animal health. A better understanding of the pathogens carried by ticks in a given geographic area can alert health care providers of specific health risks leading to better diagnosis and treatments. In this study, we tested 226 Ixodes ricinis ticks from Southern Germany using a broad-range PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assay (PCR/ESI-MS) designed to identify tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens in a single test. We found 21.2% of the ticks tested carried Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato consisting of diverse genospecies; a surprisingly high percentage of ticks were infected with Babesia microti (3.5%). Other organisms found included Borrelia miyamotoi, Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsia monacensis, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Of further significance was our finding that more than 7% of ticks were infected with more than one pathogen or putative pathogen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark W Eshoo
- 1 Ibis Biosciences an Abbott company , Carlsbad, California
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Eshoo MW, Carolan HE, Massire C, Chou DM, Crowder CD, Rounds MA, Phillipson CA, Schutzer SE, Ecker DJ. Survey of Ixodes pacificus Ticks in California Reveals a Diversity of Microorganisms and a Novel and Widespread Anaplasmataceae Species. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0135828. [PMID: 26375033 PMCID: PMC4574436 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ixodes pacificus ticks can harbor a wide range of human and animal pathogens. To survey the prevalence of tick-borne known and putative pathogens, we tested 982 individual adult and nymphal I. pacificus ticks collected throughout California between 2007 and 2009 using a broad-range PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) assay designed to detect a wide range of tick-borne microorganisms. Overall, 1.4% of the ticks were found to be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, 2.0% were infected with Borrelia miyamotoi and 0.3% were infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In addition, 3.0% were infected with Babesia odocoilei. About 1.2% of the ticks were co-infected with more than one pathogen or putative pathogen. In addition, we identified a novel Anaplasmataceae species that we characterized by sequencing of its 16S rRNA, groEL, gltA, and rpoB genes. Sequence analysis indicated that this organism is phylogenetically distinct from known Anaplasma species with its closest genetic near neighbors coming from Asia. The prevalence of this novel Anaplasmataceae species was as high as 21% at one site, and it was detected in 4.9% of ticks tested statewide. Based upon this genetic characterization we propose that this organism be called ‘Candidatus Cryptoplasma californiense’. Knowledge of this novel microbe will provide awareness for the community about the breadth of the I. pacificus microbiome, the concept that this bacterium could be more widely spread; and an opportunity to explore whether this bacterium also contributes to human or animal disease burden.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark W. Eshoo
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Heather E. Carolan
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
| | - Christian Massire
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
| | - Danny M. Chou
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
| | - Chris D. Crowder
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
| | - Megan A. Rounds
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
| | | | - Steven E. Schutzer
- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Dept. of Medicine, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - David J. Ecker
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott Company, Carlsbad CA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Crowder CD, Carolan HE, Rounds MA, Honig V, Mothes B, Haag H, Nolte O, Luft BJ, Grubhoffer L, Ecker DJ, Schutzer SE, Eshoo MW. Prevalence of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes ticks in Europe and the United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2015; 20:1678-82. [PMID: 25280366 PMCID: PMC4193165 DOI: 10.3201/eid2010.131583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection rates of Ixodes ticks with Borrelia miyamotoi in Europe and the United States vary greatly based upon location. Borrelia miyamotoi, a relapsing fever-related spirochete transmitted by Ixodes ticks, has been recently shown to be a human pathogen. To characterize the prevalence of this organism in questing Ixodes ticks, we tested 2,754 ticks for a variety of tickborne pathogens by PCR and electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry. Ticks were collected from California, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Indiana in the United States and from Germany and the Czech Republic in Europe from 2008 through 2012. In addition, an isolate from Japan was characterized. We found 3 distinct genotypes, 1 for North America, 1 for Europe, and 1 for Japan. We found B. miyamotoi infection in ticks in 16 of the 26 sites surveyed, with infection prevalence as high as 15.4%. These results show the widespread distribution of the pathogen, indicating an exposure risk to humans in areas where Ixodes ticks reside.
Collapse
|
21
|
Rynkiewicz EC, Hemmerich C, Rusch DB, Fuqua C, Clay K. Concordance of bacterial communities of two tick species and blood of their shared rodent host. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:2566-79. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn C. Rynkiewicz
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Centre for Immunity; Infection and Evolution; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH9 3JT UK
- Department of Biology; Indiana University; 1001 E 3rd St Bloomington IN 47405 USA
| | - Chris Hemmerich
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics; Indiana University; 1001 E 3rd St Bloomington IN 47405 USA
| | - Douglas B. Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics; Indiana University; 1001 E 3rd St Bloomington IN 47405 USA
| | - Clay Fuqua
- Department of Biology; Indiana University; 1001 E 3rd St Bloomington IN 47405 USA
| | - Keith Clay
- Department of Biology; Indiana University; 1001 E 3rd St Bloomington IN 47405 USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Paddock CD, Goddard J. The Evolving Medical and Veterinary Importance of the Gulf Coast tick (Acari: Ixodidae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2015; 52:230-52. [PMID: 26336308 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tju022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Amblyomma maculatum Koch (the Gulf Coast tick) is a three-host, ixodid tick that is distributed throughout much of the southeastern and south-central United States, as well as several countries throughout Central and South America. A considerable amount of scientific literature followed the original description of A. maculatum in 1844; nonetheless, the Gulf Coast tick was not recognized as a vector of any known pathogen of animals or humans for >150 years. It is now identified as the principal vector of Hepatozoon americanum, the agent responsible for American canine hepatozoonosis, and Rickettsia parkeri, the cause of an emerging, eschar-associated spotted fever group rickettsiosis identified throughout much of the Western Hemisphere. Coincident with these discoveries has been recognition that the geographical distribution of A. maculatum in the United States is far more extensive than described 70 yr ago, supporting the idea that range and abundance of certain tick species, particularly those with diverse host preferences, are not fixed in time or space, and may change over relatively short intervals. Renewed interest in the Gulf Coast tick reinforces the notion that the perceived importance of a particular tick species to human or animal health can be relatively fluid, and may shift dramatically with changes in the distribution and abundance of the arthropod, its vertebrate hosts, or the microbial agents that transit among these organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Paddock
- Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Building 17, Room 3224, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333.
| | - Jerome Goddard
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Box 9775, 100 Old Hwy 12 (Clay Lyle Building), Starkville, MS 39762
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Smith TA, Driscoll T, Gillespie JJ, Raghavan R. A Coxiella-like endosymbiont is a potential vitamin source for the Lone Star tick. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:831-8. [PMID: 25618142 PMCID: PMC4994718 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Amblyomma americanum (Lone star tick) is an important disease vector in the United States. It transmits several human pathogens, including the agents of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and southern tick-associated rash illness. Blood-feeding insects (Class Insecta) depend on bacterial endosymbionts to provide vitamins and cofactors that are scarce in blood. It is unclear how this deficiency is compensated in ticks (Class Arachnida) that feed exclusively on mammalian blood. A bacterium related to Coxiella burnetii, the agent of human Q fever, has been observed previously within cells of A. americanum. Eliminating this bacterium (CLEAA, Coxiella-like endosymbiont of A. americanum) with antibiotics reduced tick fecundity, indicating that it is an essential endosymbiont. In an effort to determine its role within this symbiosis, we sequenced the CLEAA genome. While highly reduced (656,901 bp) compared with C. burnetii (1,995,281 bp), the CLEAA genome encodes most major vitamin and cofactor biosynthesis pathways, implicating CLEAA as a vitamin provisioning endosymbiont. In contrast, CLEAA lacks any recognizable virulence genes, indicating that it is not a pathogen despite its presence in tick salivary glands. As both C. burnetii and numerous “Coxiella-like bacteria” have been reported from several species of ticks, we determined the evolutionary relationship between the two bacteria. Phylogeny estimation revealed that CLEAA is a close relative of C. burnetii, but was not derived from it. Our results are important for strategies geared toward controlling A. americanum and the pathogens it vectors, and also contribute novel information regarding the metabolic interdependencies of ticks and their nutrient-provisioning endosymbionts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Todd A Smith
- Department of Biology and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
| | | | - Joseph J Gillespie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | - Rahul Raghavan
- Department of Biology and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Troyo A, Moreira-Soto A, Carranza M, Calderón-Arguedas O, Hun L, Taylor L. Detection of an undescribed Rickettsia sp. in Ixodes boliviensis from Costa Rica. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2014; 5:883-6. [PMID: 25132535 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/06/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Ixodes boliviensis is a tick of carnivores that is common on domestic dogs. The only Rickettsia that has been detected previously in this species is 'Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae'. We report the detection of an undescribed Rickettsia sp., named strain IbR/CRC, in I. boliviensis collected from dogs in Costa Rica. Analyses of gltA, ompA, and htrA partial sequences place Rickettsia sp. strain IbR/CRC in the group of R. monacensis, also close to an endosymbiont of Ixodes scapularis and other undescribed rickettsiae. It was not possible to isolate Rickettsia sp. strain IbR/CRC in Vero E6 or C6/36 cell lines. Isolation and further characterization of Rickettsia sp. strain IbR/CRC and the other undescribed rickettsiae are required to determine their taxonomic status and pathogenic potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Troyo
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Sección de Entomología Médica, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Andrés Moreira-Soto
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Sección de Virología, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Marco Carranza
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Olger Calderón-Arguedas
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Sección de Entomología Médica, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Laya Hun
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Sección de Virología, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Lizeth Taylor
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Sección de Virología, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Population and demographic structure of Ixodes scapularis Say in the eastern United States. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101389. [PMID: 25025532 PMCID: PMC4099084 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The most significant vector of tick-borne pathogens in the United States is Ixodes scapularis Say (the blacklegged tick). Previous studies have identified significant genetic, behavioral and morphological differences between northern vs. southern populations of this tick. Because tick-borne pathogens are dependent on their vectors for transmission, a baseline understanding of the vector population structure is crucial to determining the risks and epidemiology of pathogen transmission. Methods We investigated population genetic variation of I. scapularis populations in the eastern United States using a multilocus approach. We sequenced and analyzed the mitochondrial COI and 16S genes and three nuclear genes (serpin2, ixoderin B and lysozyme) from wild specimens. Results We identified a deep divergence (3–7%) in I. scapularis COI gene sequences from some southern specimens, suggesting we had sampled a different Ixodes species. Analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences did not support this hypothesis and indicated that all specimens were I. scapularis. Phylogenetic analysis and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) supported significant differences between northern vs. southern populations. Demographic analysis suggested that northern populations had experienced a bottleneck/expansion event sometime in the past, possibly associated with Pleistocene glaciation events. Conclusions Similar to other studies, our data support the division of northern vs. southern I. scapularis genetic lineages, likely due to differences in the demographic histories between these geographic regions. The deep divergence identified in some COI gene sequences highlights a potential hazard of relying solely on COI for species identification (“barcoding”) and population genetics in this important vector arthropod.
Collapse
|
26
|
Marques A, Telford SR, Turk SP, Chung E, Williams C, Dardick K, Krause PJ, Brandeburg C, Crowder CD, Carolan HE, Eshoo MW, Shaw PA, Hu LT. Xenodiagnosis to detect Borrelia burgdorferi infection: a first-in-human study. Clin Infect Dis 2014; 58:937-45. [PMID: 24523212 DOI: 10.1093/cid/cit939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal studies suggest that Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, may persist after antibiotic therapy and can be detected by various means including xenodiagnosis using the natural tick vector (Ixodes scapularis). No convincing evidence exists for the persistence of viable spirochetes after recommended courses of antibiotic therapy in humans. We determined the safety of using I. scapularis larvae for the xenodiagnosis of B. burgdorferi infection in humans. METHODS Laboratory-reared larval I. scapularis ticks were placed on 36 subjects and allowed to feed to repletion. Ticks were tested for B. burgdorferi by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture, and/or isothermal amplification followed by PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy. In addition, attempts were made to infect immunodeficient mice by tick bite or inoculation of tick contents. Xenodiagnosis was repeated in 7 individuals. RESULTS Xenodiagnosis was well tolerated with no severe adverse events. The most common adverse event was mild itching at the tick attachment site. Xenodiagnosis was negative in 16 patients with posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) and/or high C6 antibody levels and in 5 patients after completing antibiotic therapy for erythema migrans. Xenodiagnosis was positive for B. burgdorferi DNA in a patient with erythema migrans early during therapy and in a patient with PTLDS. There is insufficient evidence, however, to conclude that viable spirochetes were present in either patient. CONCLUSIONS Xenodiagnosis using Ixodes scapularis larvae was safe and well tolerated. Further studies are needed to determine the sensitivity of xenodiagnosis in patients with Lyme disease and the significance of a positive result. Clinical Trials Registration NCT01143558.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Marques
- Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Eshoo MW, Schutzer SE, Crowder CD, Carolan HE, Ecker DJ. Achieving molecular diagnostics for Lyme disease. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2014; 13:875-83. [DOI: 10.1586/14737159.2013.850418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
|
28
|
Kleinerman G, Baneth G, Mumcuoglu KY, van Straten M, Berlin D, Apanaskevich DA, Abdeen Z, Nasereddin A, Harrus S. Molecular detection of Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia aeschlimannii, and Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae in camels and Hyalomma spp. ticks from Israel. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2013; 13:851-6. [PMID: 24107206 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2013.1330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we aimed to identify and genetically characterize spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae in ticks, domestic one-humped camels, and horses from farms and Bedouin communities in southern Israel. A total of 618 ixodid ticks (Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma turanicum, Hyalomma excavatum, and Hyalomma impeltatum) collected from camels and horses, as well as 152 blood samples from 148 camels and four horses were included in the study. Initial screening for rickettsiae was carried out by targeting the gltA gene. Positive samples were further analyzed for rickettsial ompA, 17kDa, ompB, and 16S rRNA genes. Rickettsia aeschlimannii DNA was detected in the blood of three camels and 14 ticks (H. dromedarii, H. turanicum, and H. excavatum). Rickettsia africae was found in six ticks (H. turanicum, H. impeltatum, H. dromedarii, and H. excavatum). In addition, Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae was detected in one H. turanicum tick. These findings represent the first autochthonous detection of R. africae in Israel. Previous detections of R. africae in Asia were reported from the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt) and Istanbul, only. Furthermore, we report for the first time the finding of R. aeschlimannii in H. turanicum and H. excavatum ticks, as well as the first identification of R. sibirica mongolitimonae in H. turanicum ticks. The tick species identified to harbor R. africae and other SFG rickettsiae have been reported to occasionally feed on people, and, therefore, physicians should be aware of the possible exposure of local communities and travelers, especially those in contact with camels, to these tick-borne rickettsial pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Kleinerman
- 1 Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot, Israel
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Parola P, Paddock CD, Socolovschi C, Labruna MB, Mediannikov O, Kernif T, Abdad MY, Stenos J, Bitam I, Fournier PE, Raoult D. Update on tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: a geographic approach. Clin Microbiol Rev 2013; 26:657-702. [PMID: 24092850 PMCID: PMC3811236 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00032-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 907] [Impact Index Per Article: 82.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus Rickettsia. These zoonoses are among the oldest known vector-borne diseases. However, in the past 25 years, the scope and importance of the recognized tick-associated rickettsial pathogens have increased dramatically, making this complex of diseases an ideal paradigm for the understanding of emerging and reemerging infections. Several species of tick-borne rickettsiae that were considered nonpathogenic for decades are now associated with human infections, and novel Rickettsia species of undetermined pathogenicity continue to be detected in or isolated from ticks around the world. This remarkable expansion of information has been driven largely by the use of molecular techniques that have facilitated the identification of novel and previously recognized rickettsiae in ticks. New approaches, such as swabbing of eschars to obtain material to be tested by PCR, have emerged in recent years and have played a role in describing emerging tick-borne rickettsioses. Here, we present the current knowledge on tick-borne rickettsiae and rickettsioses using a geographic approach toward the epidemiology of these diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Parola
- Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
| | | | - Cristina Socolovschi
- Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
| | - Marcelo B. Labruna
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Oleg Mediannikov
- Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
| | - Tahar Kernif
- Service d'Ecologie des Systèmes Vectoriels, Institut Pasteur d'Algérie, Algiers, Algeria
| | - Mohammad Yazid Abdad
- Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Science, Murdoch University, Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - John Stenos
- Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Science, Murdoch University, Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Idir Bitam
- University of Boumerdes, Boumerdes, Algeria
| | - Pierre-Edouard Fournier
- Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
| | - Didier Raoult
- Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod-Borne Bacterial Diseases, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Leydet BF, Liang FT. Detection of human bacterial pathogens in ticks collected from Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus). Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2013; 4:191-6. [PMID: 23415850 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Revised: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 12/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
There are 4 major human-biting tick species in the northeastern United States, which include: Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. The black bear is a large mammal that has been shown to be parasitized by all the aforementioned ticks. We investigated the bacterial infections in ticks collected from Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus subspecies luteolus). Eighty-six ticks were collected from 17 black bears in Louisiana from June 2010 to March 2011. All 4 common human-biting tick species were represented. Each tick was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting select bacterial pathogens and symbionts. Bacterial DNA was detected in 62% of ticks (n=53). Rickettsia parkeri, the causative agent of an emerging spotted fever group rickettsiosis, was identified in 66% of A. maculatum, 28% of D. variabilis, and 11% of I. scapularis. The Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, was detected in 2 I. scapularis, while one A. americanum was positive for Borrelia bissettii, a putative human pathogen. The rickettsial endosymbionts Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae, rickettsial endosymbiont of I. scapularis, and Rickettsia amblyommii were detected in their common tick hosts at 21%, 39%, and 60%, respectively. All ticks were PCR-negative for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp., and Babesia microti. This is the first reported detection of R. parkeri in vector ticks in Louisiana; we also report the novel association of R. parkeri with I. scapularis. Detection of both R. parkeri and B. burgdorferi in their respective vectors in Louisiana demands further investigation to determine potential for human exposure to these pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian F Leydet
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Duncan D, Vogler A, Wolcott M, Li F, Sarovich D, Birdsell D, Watson L, Hall T, Sampath R, Housley R, Blyn L, Hofstadler S, Ecker D, Keim P, Wagner D, Eshoo M. Identification and typing of Francisella tularensis
with a highly automated genotyping assay. Lett Appl Microbiol 2012; 56:128-34. [DOI: 10.1111/lam.12022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2012] [Revised: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D.D. Duncan
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | - A.J. Vogler
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - M.J. Wolcott
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; Fort Detrick MD USA
| | - F. Li
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | - D.S. Sarovich
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - D.N. Birdsell
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - L.M. Watson
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - T.A. Hall
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | - R. Sampath
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | - R. Housley
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | - L.B. Blyn
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | | | - D.J. Ecker
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| | - P. Keim
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - D.M. Wagner
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - M.W. Eshoo
- Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott company; Carlsbad CA USA
| |
Collapse
|