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Tóth AG, Farkas R, Papp M, Kilim O, Yun H, Makrai L, Maróti G, Gyurkovszky M, Krikó E, Solymosi N. Ixodes ricinus tick bacteriome alterations based on a climatically representative survey in Hungary. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0124323. [PMID: 37966205 PMCID: PMC10715062 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01243-23] [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: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Climate-sensitive disease vectors, such as ticks, respond to the environment with changes in their microbiome. These changes can affect the emergence or re-emergence of various vector-borne pathogens, such as the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis (LB) or tick-borne encephalitis. This aspect is particularly emphasized in light of climate change. The climatically representative assessment of microbiome differences in various developmental stages of the most common Central European tick species, Ixodes ricinus, deepens our understanding of the potential climatic factors behind microbial relative abundance and interaction changes. This knowledge can support the development of novel disease vector control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienn Gréta Tóth
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Róbert Farkas
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márton Papp
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Oz Kilim
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Haeun Yun
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Gergely Maróti
- Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Center, HUN-REN, Szeged, Hungary
- Faculty of Water Sciences, University of Public Service, Baja, Hungary
| | - Mónika Gyurkovszky
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Krikó
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Norbert Solymosi
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Mota TF, Fukutani ER, Martins KA, Salgado VR, Andrade BB, Fraga DBM, Queiroz ATL. Another tick bites the dust: exploring the association of microbial composition with a broad transmission competence of tick vector species. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0215623. [PMID: 37800912 PMCID: PMC10714957 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02156-23] [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: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Some tick species are competent to transmit more than one pathogen while other species are, until now, known to be competent to transmit only one single or any pathogen. Such a difference in vector competence for one or more pathogens might be related to the microbiome, and understanding what differentiates these two groups of ticks could help us control several diseases aiming at the bacteria groups that contribute to such a broad vector competence. Using 16S rRNA from tick species that could be classified into these groups, genera such as Rickettsia and Staphylococcus seemed to be associated with such a broad vector competence. Our results highlight differences in tick species when they are divided based on the number of pathogens they are competent to transmit. These findings are the first step into understanding the relationship between one single tick species and the pathogens it transmits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago F. Mota
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Eduardo R. Fukutani
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Kelsilandia A. Martins
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Vanessa R. Salgado
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária da União Metropolitana de Educação e Cultura (UNIME), Lauro de Freitas, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Bruno B. Andrade
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Deborah B. M. Fraga
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Artur T. L. Queiroz
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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Paulson AR, Lougheed SC, Huang D, Colautti RI. Multiomics Reveals Symbionts, Pathogens, and Tissue-Specific Microbiome of Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes scapularis) from a Lyme Disease Hot Spot in Southeastern Ontario, Canada. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0140423. [PMID: 37184407 PMCID: PMC10269869 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01404-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks in the family Ixodidae are important vectors of zoonoses, including Lyme disease (LD), which is caused by spirochete bacteria from the Borreliella (Borrelia) burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) continues to expand across Canada, creating hot spots of elevated LD risk at the leading edge of its expanding range. Current efforts to understand the risk of pathogen transmission associated with I. scapularis in Canada focus primarily on targeted screens, while natural variation in the tick microbiome remains poorly understood. Using multiomics consisting of 16S metabarcoding and ribosome-depleted, whole-shotgun RNA transcriptome sequencing, we examined the microbial communities associated with adult I. scapularis (n = 32), sampled from four tissue types (whole tick, salivary glands, midgut, and viscera) and three geographical locations within a LD hot spot near Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The communities consisted of both endosymbiotic and known or potentially pathogenic microbes, including RNA viruses, bacteria, and a Babesia sp. intracellular parasite. We show that β-diversity is significantly higher between the bacterial communities of individual tick salivary glands and midguts than that of whole ticks. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) determined that the three potentially pathogenic bacteria detected by V4 16S rRNA sequencing also differed among dissected tissues only, including a Borrelia strain from the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Importantly, we find coinfection of I. scapularis by multiple microbes, in contrast to diagnostic protocols for LD, which typically focus on infection from a single pathogen of interest (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto). IMPORTANCE As a vector of human health concern, blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) transmit pathogens that cause tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including Lyme disease (LD). Several hot spots of elevated LD risk have emerged across Canada as I. scapularis expands its range. Focusing on a hot spot in southeastern Ontario, we used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the microbiome of whole ticks and dissected salivary glands and midguts. Compared with whole ticks, salivary glands and midguts were more diverse and associated with distinct bacterial communities that are less dominated by Rickettsia endosymbiont bacteria and are enriched for pathogenic bacteria, including a B. burgdorferi sensu lato-associated Borrelia sp., Borrelia miyamotoi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We also found evidence of coinfection of I. scapularis by multiple pathogens. Overall, our study highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with the surveillance of the microbiome of I. scapularis for pathogen detection using metabarcoding and metatranscriptome approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R. Paulson
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - David Huang
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Mazuecos L, Alberdi P, Hernández-Jarguín A, Contreras M, Villar M, Cabezas-Cruz A, Simo L, González-García A, Díaz-Sánchez S, Neelakanta G, Bonnet SI, Fikrig E, de la Fuente J. Frankenbacteriosis targeting interactions between pathogen and symbiont to control infection in the tick vector. iScience 2023; 26:106697. [PMID: 37168564 PMCID: PMC10165458 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick microbiota can be targeted for the control of tick-borne diseases such as human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) caused by model pathogen, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Frankenbacteriosis is inspired by Frankenstein and defined here as paratransgenesis of tick symbiotic/commensal bacteria to mimic and compete with tick-borne pathogens. Interactions between A. phagocytophilum and symbiotic Sphingomonas identified by metaproteomics analysis in Ixodes scapularis midgut showed competition between both bacteria. Consequently, Sphingomonas was selected for frankenbacteriosis for the control of A. phagocytophilum infection and transmission. The results showed that Franken Sphingomonas producing A. phagocytophilum major surface protein 4 (MSP4) mimic pathogen and reduce infection in ticks by competition and interaction with cell receptor components of infection. Franken Sphingomonas-MSP4 transovarial and trans-stadial transmission suggests that tick larvae with genetically modified Franken Sphingomonas-MSP4 could be produced in the laboratory and released in the field to compete and replace the wildtype populations with associated reduction in pathogen infection/transmission and HGA disease risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Mazuecos
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Pilar Alberdi
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Angélica Hernández-Jarguín
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Marinela Contreras
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Margarita Villar
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Ladislav Simo
- ANSES, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Almudena González-García
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Sandra Díaz-Sánchez
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Girish Neelakanta
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA
| | - Sarah I. Bonnet
- Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 2000, Université de Paris, 75015 Paris, France
- Animal Health Department, INRAE, 37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Erol Fikrig
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 208022, USA
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
- Corresponding author
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Fountain-Jones NM, Khoo BS, Rau A, Berman JD, Burton EN, Oliver JD. Positive associations matter: Microbial relationships drive tick microbiome composition. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37173817 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Untangling how factors such as environment, host, associations among bacterial species and dispersal predict microbial composition is a fundamental challenge. In this study, we use complementary machine-learning approaches to quantify the relative role of these factors in shaping microbiome variation of the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis. I. scapularis is the most important vector for Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent for Lyme disease) in the U.S. as well as a range of other important zoonotic pathogens. Yet the relative role of the interactions between pathogens and symbionts compared to other ecological forces is unknown. We found that positive associations between microbes where the occurrence of one microbe increases the probability of observing another, including between both pathogens and symbionts, was by far the most important factor shaping the tick microbiome. Microclimate and host factors played an important role for a subset of the tick microbiome including Borrelia (Borreliella) and Ralstonia, but for the majority of microbes, environmental and host variables were poor predictors at a regional scale. This study provides new hypotheses on how pathogens and symbionts might interact within tick species, as well as valuable predictions for how some taxa may respond to changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benedict S Khoo
- School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Austin Rau
- School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jesse D Berman
- School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Erin N Burton
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jonathan D Oliver
- School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Gil JC, Hird SM. Multiomics Characterization of the Canada Goose Fecal Microbiome Reveals Selective Efficacy of Simulated Metagenomes. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0238422. [PMID: 36318011 PMCID: PMC9769641 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02384-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
16S rRNA amplicon sequences are predominantly used to identify the taxonomic composition of a microbiome, but they can also be used to generate simulated metagenomes to circumvent costly empirical shotgun sequencing. The effectiveness of using "simulated metagenomes" (shotgun metagenomes simulated from 16S rRNA amplicons using a database of full genomes closely related to the amplicons) in nonmodel systems is poorly known. We sought to determine the accuracy of simulated metagenomes in a nonmodel organism, the Canada goose (Branta canadensis), by comparing metagenomes and metatranscriptomes to simulated metagenomes derived from 16S amplicon sequencing. We found significant differences between the metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, and simulated metagenomes when comparing enzymes, KEGG orthologies (KO), and metabolic pathways. The simulated metagenomes accurately identified the majority (>70%) of the total enzymes, KOs, and pathways. The simulated metagenomes accurately identified the majority of the short-chain fatty acid metabolic pathways crucial to folivores. When narrowed in scope to specific genes of interest, the simulated metagenomes overestimated the number of antimicrobial resistance genes and underestimated the number of genes related to the breakdown of plant matter. Our results suggest that simulated metagenomes should not be used in lieu of empirical sequencing when studying the functional potential of a nonmodel organism's microbiome. Regarding the function of the Canada goose microbiome, we found unexpected amounts of fermentation pathways, and we found that a few taxa are responsible for large portions of the functional potential of the microbiome. IMPORTANCE The taxonomic composition of a microbiome is predominately identified using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, but as a single marker, it cannot identify functions (genes). Metagenome and metatranscriptome sequencing can determine microbiome function but can be cost prohibitive. Therefore, computational methods have been developed to generate simulated metagenomes derived from 16S rRNA sequences and databases of full-length genomes. Simulated metagenomes can be an effective alternative to empirical sequencing, but accuracy depends on the genomic database used and whether the database contains organisms closely related to the 16S sequences. These tools are effective in well-studied systems, but the accuracy of these predictions in a nonmodel system is less known. Using a nonmodel bird species, we characterized the function of the microbiome and compared the accuracy of 16S-derived simulated metagenomes to sequenced metagenomes. We found that the simulated metagenomes reflect most but not all functions of empirical metagenome sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua C. Gil
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sarah M. Hird
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
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Adegoke A, Kumar D, Budachetri K, Karim S. Hematophagy and tick-borne Rickettsial pathogen shape the microbial community structure and predicted functions within the tick vector, Amblyomma maculatum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1037387. [PMID: 36478675 PMCID: PMC9719966 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1037387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ticks are the primary vectors of emerging and resurging pathogens of public health significance worldwide. Analyzing tick bacterial composition, diversity, and functionality across developmental stages and tissues is crucial for designing new strategies to control ticks and prevent tick-borne diseases. Materials and methods Here, we explored the microbial communities across the developmental timeline and in different tissues of the Gulf-Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum). Using a high-throughput sequencing approach, the influence of blood meal and Rickettsia parkeri, a spotted fever group rickettsiae infection in driving changes in microbiome composition, diversity, and functionality was determined. Results This study shows that the core microbiome of Am. maculatum comprises ten core bacterial genera. The genus Rickettsia, Francisella, and Candidatus_Midichloria are the key players, with positive interactions within each developmental stage and adult tick organ tested. Blood meal and Rickettsia parkeri led to an increase in the bacterial abundance in the tissues. According to functional analysis, the increase in bacterial numbers is positively correlated to highly abundant energy metabolism orthologs with blood meal. Correlation analysis identified an increase in OTUs identified as Candidatus Midichloria and a subsequent decrease in Francisella OTUs in Rickettsia parkeri infected tick stages and tissues. Results demonstrate the abundance of Rickettsia and Francisella predominate in the core microbiome of Am. maculatum, whereas Candidatus_Midichloria and Cutibacterium prevalence increase with R. parkeri-infection. Network analysis and functional annotation suggest that R. parkeri interacts positively with Candidatus_Midichloria and negatively with Francisella. Conclusion We conclude that tick-transmitted pathogens, such as R. parkeri establishes infection by interacting with the core microbiome of the tick vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulsalam Adegoke
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Deepak Kumar
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Khemraj Budachetri
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 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
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Gofton AW, Blasdell KR, Taylor C, Banks PB, Michie M, Roy‐Dufresne E, Poldy J, Wang J, Dunn M, Tachedjian M, Smith I. Metatranscriptomic profiling reveals diverse tick-borne bacteria, protozoans and viruses in ticks and wildlife from Australia. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:e2389-e2407. [PMID: 35502617 PMCID: PMC9790515 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tick-borne zoonoses are emerging globally due to changes in climate and land use. While the zoonotic threats associated with ticks are well studied elsewhere, in Australia, the diversity of potentially zoonotic agents carried by ticks and their significance to human and animal health is not sufficiently understood. To this end, we used untargeted metatranscriptomics to audit the prokaryotic, eukaryotic and viral biomes of questing ticks and wildlife blood samples from two urban and rural sites in New South Wales, Australia. Ixodes holocyclus and Haemaphysalis bancrofti were the main tick species collected, and blood samples from Rattus rattus, Rattus fuscipes, Perameles nasuta and Trichosurus vulpecula were also collected and screened for tick-borne microorganisms using metatranscriptomics followed by conventional targeted PCR to identify important microbial taxa to the species level. Our analyses identified 32 unique tick-borne taxa, including 10 novel putative species. Overall, a wide range of tick-borne microorganisms were found in questing ticks including haemoprotozoa such as Babesia, Theileria, Hepatozoon and Trypanosoma spp., bacteria such as Borrelia, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Neoehrlichia and Anaplasma spp., and numerous viral taxa including Reoviridiae (including two coltiviruses) and a novel Flaviviridae-like jingmenvirus. Of note, a novel hard tick-borne relapsing fever Borrelia sp. was identified in questing H. bancrofti ticks which is closely related to, but distinct from, cervid-associated Borrelia spp. found throughout Asia. Notably, all tick-borne microorganisms were phylogenetically unique compared to their relatives found outside Australia, and no foreign tick-borne human pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. or Babesia microti were found. This work adds to the growing literature demonstrating that Australian ticks harbour a unique and endemic microbial fauna, including potentially zoonotic agents which should be further studied to determine their relative risk to human and animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kim R. Blasdell
- CSIROHealth and BiosecurityAustralian Centre for Disease PreparednessGeelongVICAustralia
| | - Casey Taylor
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Peter B. Banks
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | | | | | | | - Jian Wang
- CSIROHealth and BiosecurityCanberra, ConnecticutAustralia
| | - Michael Dunn
- CSIROHealth and BiosecurityAustralian Centre for Disease PreparednessGeelongVICAustralia
| | - Mary Tachedjian
- CSIROHealth and BiosecurityAustralian Centre for Disease PreparednessGeelongVICAustralia
| | - Ina Smith
- CSIROHealth and BiosecurityCanberra, ConnecticutAustralia
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Moustafa MAM, Mohamed WMA, Lau AC, Chatanga E, Qiu Y, Hayashi N, Naguib D, Sato K, Takano A, Mastuno K, Nonaka N, Taylor D, Kawabata H, Nakao R. Novel symbionts and potential human pathogens excavated from argasid tick microbiomes that are shaped by dual or single symbiosis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:1979-1992. [PMID: 35521555 PMCID: PMC9062450 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on vector-associated microbiomes has been expanding due to increasing emergence of vector-borne pathogens and awareness of the importance of symbionts in the vector physiology. However, little is known about microbiomes of argasid (or soft-bodied) ticks due to limited access to specimens. We collected four argasid species (Argas japonicus, Carios vespertilionis, Ornithodoros capensis, and Ornithodoros sawaii) from the nests or burrows of their vertebrate hosts. One laboratory-reared argasid species (Ornithodoros moubata) was also included. Attempts were then made to isolate and characterize potential symbionts/pathogens using arthropod cell lines. Microbial community structure was distinct for each tick species. Coxiella was detected as the predominant symbiont in four tick species where dual symbiosis between Coxiella and Rickettsia or Coxiella and Francisella was observed in C. vespertilionis and O. moubata, respectively. Of note, A. japonicus lacked Coxiella and instead had Occidentia massiliensis and Thiotrichales as alternative symbionts. Our study found strong correlation between tick species and life stage. We successfully isolated Oc. massiliensis and characterized potential pathogens of genera Ehrlichia and Borrelia. The results suggest that there is no consistent trend of microbiomes in relation to tick life stage that fit all tick species and that the final interpretation should be related to the balance between environmental bacterial exposure and endosymbiont ecology. Nevertheless, our findings provide insights on the ecology of tick microbiomes and basis for future investigations on the capacity of argasid ticks to carry novel pathogens with public health importance.
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Egan SL, Taylor CL, Banks PB, Northover AS, Ahlstrom LA, Ryan UM, Irwin PJ, Oskam CL. The bacterial biome of ticks and their wildlife hosts at the urban-wildland interface. Microb Genom 2021; 7. [PMID: 34913864 PMCID: PMC8767321 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in sequencing technologies have revealed the complex and diverse microbial communities present in ticks (Ixodida). As obligate blood-feeding arthropods, ticks are responsible for a number of infectious diseases that can affect humans, livestock, domestic animals and wildlife. While cases of human tick-borne diseases continue to increase in the northern hemisphere, there has been relatively little recognition of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in Australia. Over the past 5 years, studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies have shown that Australian ticks harbour unique and diverse bacterial communities. In the present study, free-ranging wildlife (n=203), representing ten mammal species, were sampled from urban and peri-urban areas in New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD) and Western Australia (WA). Bacterial metabarcoding targeting the 16S rRNA locus was used to characterize the microbiomes of three sample types collected from wildlife: blood, ticks and tissue samples. Further sequence information was obtained for selected taxa of interest. Six tick species were identified from wildlife: Amblyomma triguttatum, Ixodes antechini, Ixodes australiensis, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani and Ixodes trichosuri. Bacterial 16S rRNA metabarcoding was performed on 536 samples and 65 controls, generating over 100 million sequences. Alpha diversity was significantly different between the three sample types, with tissue samples displaying the highest alpha diversity (P<0.001). Proteobacteria was the most abundant taxon identified across all sample types (37.3 %). Beta diversity analysis and ordination revealed little overlap between the three sample types (P<0.001). Taxa of interest included Anaplasmataceae, Bartonella, Borrelia, Coxiellaceae, Francisella, Midichloria, Mycoplasma and Rickettsia. Anaplasmataceae bacteria were detected in 17.7% (95/536) of samples and included Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Neoehrlichia species. In samples from NSW, 'Ca. Neoehrlichia australis', 'Ca. Neoehrlichia arcana', Neoehrlichia sp. and Ehrlichia sp. were identified. A putative novel Ehrlichia sp. was identified from WA and Anaplasma platys was identified from QLD. Nine rodent tissue samples were positive for a novel Borrelia sp. that formed a phylogenetically distinct clade separate from the Lyme Borrelia and relapsing fever groups. This novel clade included recently identified rodent-associated Borrelia genotypes, which were described from Spain and North America. Bartonella was identified in 12.9% (69/536) of samples. Over half of these positive samples were obtained from black rats (Rattus rattus), and the dominant bacterial species identified were Bartonella coopersplainsensis and Bartonella queenslandensis. The results from the present study show the value of using unbiased high-throughput sequencing applied to samples collected from wildlife. In addition to understanding the sylvatic cycle of known vector-associated pathogens, surveillance work is important to ensure preparedness for potential zoonotic spillover events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhon L Egan
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Casey L Taylor
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Peter B Banks
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Amy S Northover
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Liisa A Ahlstrom
- Elanco Animal Health, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2113, Australia
| | - Una M Ryan
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Peter J Irwin
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.,School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Charlotte L Oskam
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
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Gomez-Chamorro A, Hodžić A, King KC, Cabezas-Cruz A. Ecological and evolutionary perspectives on tick-borne pathogen co-infections. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2021; 1:100049. [PMID: 35284886 PMCID: PMC8906131 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Tick-borne pathogen co-infections are common in nature. Co-infecting pathogens interact with each other and the tick microbiome, which influences individual pathogen fitness, and ultimately shapes virulence, infectivity, and transmission. In this review, we discuss how tick-borne pathogens are an ideal framework to study the evolutionary dynamics of co-infections. We highlight the importance of inter-species and intra-species interactions in vector-borne pathogen ecology and evolution. We also propose experimental evolution in tick cell lines as a method to directly test the impact of co-infections on pathogen evolution. Experimental evolution can simulate in real-time the long periods of time involved in within-vector pathogen interactions in nature, a major practical obstacle to cracking the influence of co-infections on pathogen evolution and ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gomez-Chamorro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire D’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, F-94700, France
| | - Adnan Hodžić
- Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kayla C. King
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire D’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, F-94700, France
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Alafaci A, Crépin A, Beaubert S, Berjeaud JM, Delafont V, Verdon J. Exploring the Individual Bacterial Microbiota of Questing Ixodes ricinus Nymphs. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9071526. [PMID: 34361961 PMCID: PMC8303981 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Ixodes ricinus is the most common hard tick species in Europe and an important vector of pathogens of human and animal health concerns. The rise of high-throughput sequencing has facilitated the identification of many tick-borne pathogens and, more globally, of various microbiota members depending on the scale of concern. In this study, we aimed to assess the bacterial diversity of individual I. ricinus questing nymphs collected in France using high-throughput 16S gene metabarcoding. From 180 dragging-collected nymphs, we identified more than 700 bacterial genera, of which about 20 are abundantly represented (>1% of total reads). Together with 136 other genera assigned, they constitute a core internal microbiota in this study. We also identified 20 individuals carrying Borreliella. The most abundant species is B. afzelii, known to be one of the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease in Europe. Co-detection of up to four Borreliella genospecies within the same individual has also been retrieved. The detection and co-detection rate of Borreliella in I. ricinus nymphs is high and raises the question of interactions between these bacteria and the communities constituting the internal microbiota.
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