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Martinez-Villegas L, Lado P, Klompen H, Wang S, Cummings C, Pesapane R, Short SM. The microbiota of Amblyomma americanum reflects known westward expansion. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304959. [PMID: 38857239 PMCID: PMC11164389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Amblyomma americanum, a known vector of multiple tick-borne pathogens, has expanded its geographic distribution across the United States in the past decades. Tick microbiomes may play a role shaping their host's life history and vectorial capacity. Bacterial communities associated with A. americanum may reflect, or enable, geographic expansion and studying the microbiota will improve understanding of tick-borne disease ecology. We examined the microbiota structure of 189 adult ticks collected in four regions encompassing their historical and current geographic distribution. Both geographic region of origin and sex were significant predictors of alpha diversity. As in other tick models, within-sample diversity was low and uneven given the presence of dominant endosymbionts. Beta diversity analyses revealed that bacterial profiles of ticks of both sexes collected in the West were significantly different from those of the Historic range. Biomarkers were identified for all regions except the historical range. In addition, Bray-Curtis dissimilarities overall increased with distance between sites. Relative quantification of ecological processes showed that, for females and males, respectively, drift and dispersal limitation were the primary drivers of community assembly. Collectively, our findings highlight how microbiota structural variance discriminates the western-expanded populations of A. americanum ticks from the Historical range. Spatial autocorrelation, and particularly the detection of non-selective ecological processes, are indicative of geographic isolation. We also found that prevalence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum ranged from 3.40-5.11% and did not significantly differ by region. Rickettsia rickettsii was absent from our samples. Our conclusions demonstrate the value of synergistic analysis of biogeographic and microbial ecology data in investigating range expansion in A. americanum and potentially other tick vectors as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Martinez-Villegas
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Paula Lado
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Hans Klompen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and Museum of Biological Diversity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Selena Wang
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Caleb Cummings
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Risa Pesapane
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Sarah M. Short
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
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Intirach J, Lv X, Sutthanont N, Cai B, Champakaew D, Chen T, Han Q, Lv Z. Molecular and next-generation sequencing analysis of tick-borne pathogens of Rhipicephalus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in cattle and dogs. Acta Trop 2024; 252:107138. [PMID: 38307363 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Ticks are small and adaptable arachnid ectoparasites and global carriers of various pathogens that threaten both human and animal health. They are present in many parts of China. A total of 858 ticks were collected from various regions and hosts, then subjected to species identification based on morphological and molecular characteristics, as described in the authors' previous study. Eighty-three individual tick samples were selected for screening pathogens based on metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The genomic DNA of tick species was extracted, and amplification of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was carried out from DNA of individual ticks using V3-V4 hypervariable regions, before subjecting to metagenomic analysis. Each tick underwent specific PCR tests for identifying the bacterial species present, including Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Coxiella, and Rickettsia, and also protozoans such as Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon. Illumina NovaSeq sequencing results revealed that the dominant phylum and family in Rhipicephalus spp. were Bacteroidota and Muribaculaceae, respectively. Alpha diversity patterns varied depending on tick sex (R. linnaei only), species and location, but not on host. Furthermore, bacterial pathogens, including A. marginale (58 %, 29/50), A. platys (6 %, 3/50), E. minasensis (2 %, 1/50), Ehrlichia sp. (10 %, 5/50), T. sinensis (24 %, 12/50), T. orientalis (54 %, 27/50) and Coxiella-like bacteria (CLB) (80 %, 40/50) were detected in R. microplus, while E. canis (33.33 %, 10/30), H. canis (20 %, 6/30) and CLB (100 %, 30/30) were detected in R. linnaei. Also, Anaplasma sp. (33.33 %, 1/3), A. marginale (33.33 %, 1/3), R. felis (33.33 %, 1/3) and CLB (100 %, 3/3) were detected in R. haemaphysaloides. Dual and triple co-infections involving pathogens or CLB were detected in 84.00 % of R. microplus, 66.66 % of R. haemaphysaloides, and 33.00 % of R. linnaei. The report on microbial communities and pathogens, which found from Rhipicephalus spp. in Hainan Island, is an important step towards a better understanding of tick-borne disease transmission. This is the first report in the area on the presence of Anaplasma sp., A. marginale, R. felis and Coxiella, in R. haemaphysaloides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitrawadee Intirach
- Laboratory of Tropical Veterinary Medicine and Vector Biology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570100, China; Hainan Tropical Diseases Research Center (Hainan Sub-Center, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Haikou, Hainan 571199, China
| | - Xin Lv
- International School of Public Health and One Health, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China
| | - Nataya Sutthanont
- Department of Medical Entomology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Benchi Cai
- Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570100, China
| | - Danita Champakaew
- Parasitology and Entomology Research Cluster (PERC), Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Tao Chen
- Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570100, China; Hainan Provincial Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, Haikou 570100, China.
| | - Qian Han
- Laboratory of Tropical Veterinary Medicine and Vector Biology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China.
| | - Zhiyue Lv
- Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570100, China; Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Biological Vector Control, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
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Su S, Hong M, Cui MY, Gui Z, Ma SF, Wu L, Xing LL, Mu L, Yu JF, Fu SY, Gao RJ, Qi DD. Microbial diversity of ticks and a novel typhus group Rickettsia species (Rickettsiales bacterium Ac37b) in Inner Mongolia, China. Parasite 2023; 30:58. [PMID: 38084939 PMCID: PMC10714680 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2023057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks can carry multiple pathogens, and Inner Mongolia's animal husbandry provides excellent environmental conditions for ticks. This study characterized the microbiome of ticks from different geographical locations in Inner Mongolia; 905 Dermacentor nuttalli and 36 Ixodes persulcatus were collected from sheep in three main pasture areas and from bushes within the forested area. Mixed DNA samples were prepared from three specimens from each region and tick species. Microbial diversity was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing, and α and β diversity were determined. The predominant bacterial genera were Rickettsia (54.60%), including Rickettsiales bacterium Ac37b (19.33%) and other Rickettsia (35.27%), Arsenophonus (11.21%), Candidatus Lariskella (10.84%), and Acinetobacter (7.17%). Rickettsia bellii was identified in I. persulcatus, while Rickettsiales bacterium Ac37b was found in D. nuttalli from Ordos and Chifeng. Potential Rickettsia and Anaplasma coinfections were observed in the Ordos region. Tick microbial diversity analysis in Inner Mongolia suggests that sheep at the sampling sites were exposed to multiple pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Su
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Graduate School, Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot 010059 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Mei Hong
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School of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot 010110 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Meng-Yu Cui
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Graduate School, Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot 010059 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Zheng Gui
- First Hospital of Jilin University Changchun 130021 China
| | - Shi-Fa Ma
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Hulunbuir Mental Health Center Hulunbuir 022150 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Lin Wu
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Beijing Guoke Biotechnology Co., Ltd 102200 Beijing China
| | - Li-Li Xing
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Department of Infection Control, Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 010000 China
| | - Lan Mu
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School of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot 010110 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Jing-Feng Yu
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School of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot 010110 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Shao-Yin Fu
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Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural & Animal Husbandry Science Hohhot 010031 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Rui-Juan Gao
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School of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University Hohhot 010110 Inner Mongolia China
| | - Dong-Dong Qi
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Hulunbuir Mental Health Center Hulunbuir 022150 Inner Mongolia China
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Boligarla S, Laison EKE, Li J, Mahadevan R, Ng A, Lin Y, Thioub MY, Huang B, Ibrahim MH, Nasri B. Leveraging machine learning approaches for predicting potential Lyme disease cases and incidence rates in the United States using Twitter. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2023; 23:217. [PMID: 37845666 PMCID: PMC10578027 DOI: 10.1186/s12911-023-02315-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme disease is one of the most commonly reported infectious diseases in the United States (US), accounting for more than [Formula: see text] of all vector-borne diseases in North America. OBJECTIVE In this paper, self-reported tweets on Twitter were analyzed in order to predict potential Lyme disease cases and accurately assess incidence rates in the US. METHODS The study was done in three stages: (1) Approximately 1.3 million tweets were collected and pre-processed to extract the most relevant Lyme disease tweets with geolocations. A subset of tweets were semi-automatically labelled as relevant or irrelevant to Lyme disease using a set of precise keywords, and the remaining portion were manually labelled, yielding a curated labelled dataset of 77, 500 tweets. (2) This labelled data set was used to train, validate, and test various combinations of NLP word embedding methods and prominent ML classification models, such as TF-IDF and logistic regression, Word2vec and XGboost, and BERTweet, among others, to identify potential Lyme disease tweets. (3) Lastly, the presence of spatio-temporal patterns in the US over a 10-year period were studied. RESULTS Preliminary results showed that BERTweet outperformed all tested NLP classifiers for identifying Lyme disease tweets, achieving the highest classification accuracy and F1-score of [Formula: see text]. There was also a consistent pattern indicating that the West and Northeast regions of the US had a higher tweet rate over time. CONCLUSIONS We focused on the less-studied problem of using Twitter data as a surveillance tool for Lyme disease in the US. Several crucial findings have emerged from the study. First, there is a fairly strong correlation between classified tweet counts and Lyme disease counts, with both following similar trends. Second, in 2015 and early 2016, the social media network like Twitter was essential in raising popular awareness of Lyme disease. Third, counties with a high incidence rate were not necessarily related with a high tweet rate, and vice versa. Fourth, BERTweet can be used as a reliable NLP classifier for detecting relevant Lyme disease tweets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elda Kokoè Elolo Laison
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Jiaxin Li
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Raja Mahadevan
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Austen Ng
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Yangming Lin
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Mamadou Yamar Thioub
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Bruce Huang
- Department of Decision Sciences, HEC Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Mohamed Hamza Ibrahim
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Bouchra Nasri
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada.
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Holguin-Rocha AF, Calle-Tobon A, Vásquez GM, Astete H, Fisher ML, Tobon-Castano A, Velez-Tobon G, Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Silver K, Park Y, Londono-Renteria B. Diversity of the Bacterial and Viral Communities in the Tropical Horse Tick, Dermacentor nitens, in Colombia. Pathogens 2023; 12:942. [PMID: 37513789 PMCID: PMC10384233 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12070942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit pathogens among various vertebrates, including humans. The microbial and viral communities of ticks, including pathogenic microorganisms, are known to be highly diverse. However, the factors driving this diversity are not well understood. The tropical horse tick, Dermacentor nitens, is distributed throughout the Americas and it is recognized as a natural vector of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, the causal agents of equine piroplasmosis. In this study, we characterized the bacterial and viral communities associated with partially fed Dermacentor nitens females collected using a passive survey on horses from field sites representing three distinct geographical areas in the country of Colombia (Bolivar, Antioquia, and Cordoba). RNA-seq and sequencing of the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene were performed using the Illumina-Miseq platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). A total of 356 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified, in which the presumed endosymbiont, Francisellaceae/Francisella spp., was predominantly found. Nine contigs corresponding to six different viruses were identified in three viral families: Chuviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and Flaviviridae. Differences in the relative abundance of the microbial composition among the geographical regions were found to be independent of the presence of Francisella-like endosymbiont (FLE). The most prevalent bacteria found in each region were Corynebacterium in Bolivar, Staphylococcus in Antioquia, and Pseudomonas in Cordoba. Rickettsia-like endosymbionts, mainly recognized as the etiological agent of rickettsioses in Colombia, were detected in the Cordoba samples. Metatranscriptomics revealed 13 contigs containing FLE genes, suggesting a trend of regional differences. These findings suggest regional distinctions among the ticks and their bacterial compositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres F Holguin-Rocha
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Arley Calle-Tobon
- Grupo Entomologia Medica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin 050010, Colombia
| | - Gissella M Vásquez
- U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Bellavista, Lima 15001, Peru
| | - Helvio Astete
- U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Bellavista, Lima 15001, Peru
| | - Michael L Fisher
- U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Bellavista, Lima 15001, Peru
| | - Alberto Tobon-Castano
- Grupo Malaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin 050010, Colombia
| | - Gabriel Velez-Tobon
- Grupo Malaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin 050010, Colombia
| | - L Paulina Maldonado-Ruiz
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Kristopher Silver
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Yoonseong Park
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Berlin Londono-Renteria
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Piloto-Sardiñas E, Cano-Argüelles AL, Maitre A, Wu-Chuang A, Mateos-Hernández L, Corduneanu A, Obregón D, Oleaga A, Pérez-Sánchez R, Cabezas-Cruz A. Comparison of salivary gland and midgut microbiome in the soft ticks Ornithodoros erraticus and Ornithodoros moubata. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1173609. [PMID: 37228376 PMCID: PMC10203192 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1173609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Ornithodoros erraticus and Ornithodoros moubata are the main vectors of African swine fever virus (ASFV) and the human relapsing fever spirochetes Borrelia hispanica and Borrelia crocidurae in the Mediterranean region and Borrelia duttoni in continental Africa. Manipulation of the tick microbiome has been shown to reduce vector fitness and competence in tick vectors, suggesting that the identification of key microbial players associated with tick tissues can inform interventions such as anti-microbiota vaccines to block pathogen development in the midgut and/or salivary glands. Methods In this study, we analyzed and compared the microbiome of the salivary glands and midgut of O. erraticus and O. moubata. For the taxonomic and functional characterization of the tissue-specific microbiome, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and prediction of metabolic profiles using PICRUSt2. Co-occurrence networks were built to characterize the community assembly and identify keystone taxa in each tick species. Results Our results revealed differences in the composition, diversity, and assembly of the bacterial microbiome of salivary glands and midgut within each tick species, but differences were more noticeable in O. moubata. Differences were also found in the microbiome of each tissue, salivary gland and midgut, between species. However, the 'Core Association Networks (CAN)' analysis revealed conserved patterns of interacting taxa in tissues within and between tick species. Different keystone taxa were identified in O. erraticus and O. moubata tissues, but Muribaculaceae and Alistipes were found as keystone taxa in the salivary glands of both tick species which justifies their use as anti-microbiota vaccine candidates to alter the microbiome and reduce tick fitness and/or block pathogen transmission. The high similarity of predicted metabolic pathways profiles between tissues of the two tick species suggests that taxonomic variability of the microbiome is not associated with significant changes in microbial functional profiles. Conclusion We conclude that the taxonomic structure of the microbiome in O. erraticus and O. moubata is tissue-specific, suggesting niche partitioning of bacterial communities associated to these soft ticks. However, shared keystone taxa and conserved patterns of interacting taxa between tissues and tick species suggest the presence of key microbial players that could be used as anti-microbiota vaccine candidates to affect tick physiology and/or pathogen colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elianne Piloto-Sardiñas
- Direction of Animal Health, National Center for Animal and Plant Health, Carretera de Tapaste y Autopista Nacional, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Ana Laura Cano-Argüelles
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Apolline Maitre
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
- UR 0045 Laboratoire de Recherches Sur Le Développement de L’Elevage (SELMET-LRDE), INRAE, Corte, France
- EA 7310, Laboratoire de Virologie, Université de Corse, Corte, France
| | - Alejandra Wu-Chuang
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Lourdes Mateos-Hernández
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Alexandra Corduneanu
- Department of Animal Breeding and Animal Production, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Dasiel Obregón
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Ana Oleaga
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez
- Parasitology Laboratory, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA, CSIC), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
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Holguin-Rocha AF, Calle-Tobon A, Vásquez GM, Astete H, Fisher ML, Tobon-Castano A, Velez-Tobon G, Maldonado-Ruiz LP, Silver K, Park Y, Londono-Renteria B. Diversity of the bacterial and viral communities in the tropical horse tick, Dermacentor nitens in Colombia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.04.539352. [PMID: 37205465 PMCID: PMC10187316 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.04.539352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit pathogens among various vertebrates, including humans. The composition of the microbial and viral communities in addition to the pathogenic microorganisms is highly diverse in ticks, but the factors driving the diversity are not well understood. The tropical horse tick, Dermacentor nitens , is distributed throughout the Americas and it is recognized as a natural vector of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi , the causal agents of equine piroplasmosis. We characterized the bacterial and viral communities associated with partially-fed D. nitens females collected by a passive survey on horses from field sites representing three distinct geographical areas in Colombia (Bolivar, Antioquia, and Cordoba). RNA-seq and sequencing of the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene were performed using the Illumina-Miseq platform. A total of 356 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified, in which the presumed endosymbiotic Francisellaceae/ Francisella spp. was predominantly found. Nine contigs corresponding to six different viruses were identified in three viral families: Chuviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and Flaviviridae. Differences in the relative abundance of the microbial composition among the geographical regions were found to be independent of the presence of Francisella -Like Endosymbiont (FLE). The most prevalent bacteria found on each region were Corynebacterium in Bolivar, Staphylococcus in Antioquia, and Pseudomonas in Cordoba. Rickettsia -like endosymbionts, mainly recognized as the etiological agent of rickettsioses in Colombia were detected in the Cordoba samples. Metatranscriptomics revealed 13 contigs containing FLE genes, suggesting a trend of regional differences. These findings suggest regional distinctions among the ticks and their bacterial compositions.
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8
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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.
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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:
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Hodosi R, Kazimirova M, Soltys K. What do we know about the microbiome of I. ricinus? Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:990889. [PMID: 36467722 PMCID: PMC9709289 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.990889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
I. ricinus is an obligate hematophagous parasitic arthropod that is responsible for the transmission of a wide range of zoonotic pathogens including spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, Rickettsia spp., C. burnetii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Francisella tularensis, which are part the tick´s microbiome. Most of the studies focus on "pathogens" and only very few elucidate the role of "non-pathogenic" symbiotic microorganisms in I. ricinus. While most of the members of the microbiome are leading an intracellular lifestyle, they are able to complement tick´s nutrition and stress response having a great impact on tick´s survival and transmission of pathogens. The composition of the tick´s microbiome is not consistent and can be tied to the environment, tick species, developmental stage, or specific organ or tissue. Ovarian tissue harbors a stable microbiome consisting mainly but not exclusively of endosymbiotic bacteria, while the microbiome of the digestive system is rather unstable, and together with salivary glands, is mostly comprised of pathogens. The most prevalent endosymbionts found in ticks are Rickettsia spp., Ricketsiella spp., Coxiella-like and Francisella-like endosymbionts, Spiroplasma spp. and Candidatus Midichloria spp. Since microorganisms can modify ticks' behavior, such as mobility, feeding or saliva production, which results in increased survival rates, we aimed to elucidate the potential, tight relationship, and interaction between bacteria of the I. ricinus microbiome. Here we show that endosymbionts including Coxiella-like spp., can provide I. ricinus with different types of vitamin B (B2, B6, B7, B9) essential for eukaryotic organisms. Furthermore, we hypothesize that survival of Wolbachia spp., or the bacterial pathogen A. phagocytophilum can be supported by the tick itself since coinfection with symbiotic Spiroplasma ixodetis provides I. ricinus with complete metabolic pathway of folate biosynthesis necessary for DNA synthesis and cell division. Manipulation of tick´s endosymbiotic microbiome could present a perspective way of I. ricinus control and regulation of spread of emerging bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Hodosi
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Maria Kazimirova
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Katarina Soltys
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Comenius University Science Park, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Smith HR, Canessa EH, Roy R, Spathis R, Pour MS, Hathout Y. A single tick screening for infectious pathogens using targeted mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 2022; 414:3791-3802. [PMID: 35416505 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-04054-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
The black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is a well-known vector for the Lyme disease-causing pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi) but can also carry other disease-causing pathogens such as Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and Theileria. Hence, tick screening using highly specific protein signatures for specific pathogens will help assess the prevalence of infected ticks and understand the pathogen-tick interactions in a specific geographic area. In this study, we used data-dependent acquisition to key pathogen protein signatures in black-legged ticks collected from the Southern Tier New York. Bottom-up proteomic analysis of extract from five combined ticks identified 2,052 tick proteins and 41 pathogen proteins with high confidence (≥ 99% C.I.). Results show high peptide spectral match counts for Rickettsia species and Borrelia species and lower counts for other rarer pathogens such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Parallel reaction monitoring performed on protein extracts from individual ticks (n = 10) revealed that 8 out of the 10 screened ticks carried Rickettsia species, 5 carried Borrelia species, 3 carried both pathogens, and only 1 tick carried no detectable bacteria. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics is a highly specific way to define the expression of different types of pathogen proteins in infected ticks. This might bring insights into the tick-pathogen interactions at the molecular level and especially expression pathogen surface proteins in ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly R Smith
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Emily H Canessa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Runia Roy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Rita Spathis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Michel Shamoon Pour
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical Anthropology, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Yetrib Hathout
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SUNY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA.
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