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Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Macaluso KR. Cat Flea Coinfection with Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia typhi. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2024; 24:201-213. [PMID: 38422214 PMCID: PMC11035851 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2023.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Flea-borne rickettsioses, collectively referred to as a term for etiological agents Rickettsia felis, Rickettsia typhi, and RFLOs (R. felis-like organisms), has become a public health concern around the world, specifically in the United States. Due to a shared arthropod vector (the cat flea) and clinical signs, discriminating between Rickettsia species has proven difficult. While the effects of microbial coinfections in the vector can result in antagonistic or synergistic interrelationships, subsequently altering potential human exposure and disease, the impact of bacterial interactions within flea populations remains poorly defined. Methods: In this study, in vitro and in vivo systems were utilized to assess rickettsial interactions in arthropods. Results: Coinfection of both R. felis and R. typhi within a tick-derived cell line indicated that the two species could infect the same cell, but distinct growth kinetics led to reduced R. felis growth over time, regardless of infection order. Sequential flea coinfections revealed the vector could acquire both Rickettsia spp. and sustain coinfection for up to 2 weeks, but rickettsial loads in coinfected fleas and feces were altered during coinfection. Conclusion: Altered rickettsial loads during coinfection suggest R. felis and R. typhi interactions may enhance the transmission potential of either agent. Thus, this study provides a functional foundation to disentangle transmission events propelled by complex interspecies relationships during vector coinfections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna J. Laukaitis-Yousey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kevin R. Macaluso
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
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Singh N, Rolandelli A, O’Neal AJ, Butler LR, Samaddar S, Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Butnaru M, Mohr SE, Perrimon N, Pedra JHF. Genetic manipulation of an Ixodes scapularis cell line. mBio 2024; 15:e0247923. [PMID: 38380961 PMCID: PMC10936194 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02479-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Although genetic manipulation is one of the hallmarks of model organisms, its applicability to non-model species has remained difficult due to our limited understanding of their fundamental biology. For instance, manipulation of a cell line originated from the black-legged tick Ixodes scapularis, an arthropod that serves as a vector for several human pathogens, has yet to be established. Here, we demonstrate the successful genetic modification of the commonly used tick ISE6 line through ectopic expression and clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats [(CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)] genome editing. We performed ectopic expression using nucleofection and attained CRISPR-Cas9 editing via homology-dependent recombination. Targeting the E3 ubiquitin ligase x-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (xiap) and its substrate p47 led to an alteration in molecular signaling within the immune deficiency network and increased infection of the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum in I. scapularis ISE6 cells. Collectively, our findings complement techniques for the genetic engineering of I. scapularis ticks, which currently limit efficient and scalable molecular genetic screens in vivo.IMPORTANCEGenetic engineering in arachnids has lagged compared to insects, largely because of substantial differences in their biology. This study unveils the implementation of ectopic expression and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in a tick cell line. We introduced fluorescently tagged proteins in ISE6 cells and edited its genome via homology-dependent recombination. We ablated the expression of xiap and p47, two signaling molecules present in the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway of Ixodes scapularis. Impairment of the tick IMD pathway, an analogous network of the tumor necrosis factor receptor in mammals, led to enhanced infection of the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Altogether, our findings provide a critical technical resource to the scientific community to enable a deeper understanding of biological circuits in the black-legged tick I. scapularis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Singh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Agustin Rolandelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anya J. O’Neal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - L. Rainer Butler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sourabh Samaddar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hanna J. Laukaitis-Yousey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Matthew Butnaru
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephanie E. Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | - Joao H. F. Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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3
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Rolandelli A, Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Bogale HN, Singh N, Samaddar S, O'Neal AJ, Ferraz CR, Butnaru M, Mameli E, Xia B, Mendes MT, Butler LR, Marnin L, Cabrera Paz FE, Valencia LM, Rana VS, Skerry C, Pal U, Mohr SE, Perrimon N, Serre D, Pedra JHF. Tick hemocytes have a pleiotropic role in microbial infection and arthropod fitness. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2117. [PMID: 38459063 PMCID: PMC10923820 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46494-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Uncovering the complexity of systems in non-model organisms is critical for understanding arthropod immunology. Prior efforts have mostly focused on Dipteran insects, which only account for a subset of existing arthropod species in nature. Here we use and develop advanced techniques to describe immune cells (hemocytes) from the clinically relevant tick Ixodes scapularis at a single-cell resolution. We observe molecular alterations in hemocytes upon feeding and infection with either the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi or the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We reveal hemocyte clusters exhibiting defined signatures related to immunity, metabolism, and proliferation. Depletion of phagocytic hemocytes affects hemocytin and astakine levels, two I. scapularis hemocyte markers, impacting blood-feeding, molting behavior, and bacterial acquisition. Mechanistically, astakine alters hemocyte proliferation, whereas hemocytin affects the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in I. scapularis. Altogether, we discover a role for tick hemocytes in immunophysiology and provide a valuable resource for comparative biology in arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Rolandelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hanna J Laukaitis-Yousey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haikel N Bogale
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Rancho BioSciences, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Nisha Singh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University; Knowledge Corridor, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Sourabh Samaddar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anya J O'Neal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Camila R Ferraz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Butnaru
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Enzo Mameli
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Baolong Xia
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M Tays Mendes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - L Rainer Butler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liron Marnin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Francy E Cabrera Paz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Luisa M Valencia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vipin S Rana
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ciaran Skerry
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie E Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - David Serre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joao H F Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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4
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Marnin L, Bogale HN, Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Valencia LM, Rolandelli A, O’Neal AJ, Ferraz CR, Schmitter-Sánchez AD, Cuevas EB, Nguyen TT, Leal-Galvan B, Rickert DM, Bruno VM, Tays Mendes M, Samaddar S, Rainer Butler L, Singh N, Cabrera Paz FE, Oliver JD, Jameson JM, Munderloh UG, Oliva Chávez AS, Mulenga A, Park S, Serre D, Pedra JH. Tick extracellular vesicles impair epidermal homeostasis through immune-epithelial networks during hematophagy. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.10.566612. [PMID: 37986907 PMCID: PMC10659423 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.10.566612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Hematophagous ectoparasites, such as ticks, rely on impaired wound healing for skin attachment and blood feeding. Wound healing has been extensively studied through the lens of inflammatory disorders and cancer, but limited attention has been given to arthropod-borne diseases. Here, we used orthogonal approaches combining single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq), flow cytometry, murine genetics, and intravital microscopy to demonstrate how tick extracellular vesicles (EVs) disrupt networks involved in tissue repair. Impairment of EVs through silencing of the SNARE protein vamp33 negatively impacted ectoparasite feeding and survival in three medically relevant tick species, including Ixodes scapularis. Furthermore, I. scapularis EVs affected epidermal γδ T cell frequencies and co-receptor expression, which are essential for keratinocyte function. ScRNAseq analysis of the skin epidermis in wildtype animals exposed to vamp33-deficient ticks revealed a unique cluster of keratinocytes with an overrepresentation of pathways connected to wound healing. This biological circuit was further implicated in arthropod fitness when tick EVs inhibited epithelial proliferation through the disruption of phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity and keratinocyte growth factor levels. Collectively, we uncovered a tick-targeted impairment of tissue repair via the resident γδ T cell-keratinocyte axis, which contributes to ectoparasite feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liron Marnin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haikel N. Bogale
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hanna J. Laukaitis-Yousey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Luisa M. Valencia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Agustin Rolandelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anya J. O’Neal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Camila Rodrigues Ferraz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Axel D. Schmitter-Sánchez
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Emily Bencosme Cuevas
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Thu-Thuy Nguyen
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Brenda Leal-Galvan
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - David M. Rickert
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vincent M. Bruno
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - M. Tays Mendes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sourabh Samaddar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - L. Rainer Butler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nisha Singh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Francy E. Cabrera Paz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jonathan D. Oliver
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Julie M Jameson
- Department of Biology, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Albert Mulenga
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sangbum Park
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - David Serre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joao H.F. Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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5
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Rolandelli A, Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Bogale HN, Singh N, Samaddar S, O’Neal AJ, Ferraz CR, Butnaru M, Mameli E, Xia B, Mendes MT, Butler LR, Marnin L, Cabrera Paz FE, Valencia LM, Rana VS, Skerry C, Pal U, Mohr SE, Perrimon N, Serre D, Pedra JH. Tick hemocytes have pleiotropic roles in microbial infection and arthropod fitness. bioRxiv 2023:2023.08.31.555785. [PMID: 37693411 PMCID: PMC10491215 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.31.555785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Uncovering the complexity of systems in non-model organisms is critical for understanding arthropod immunology. Prior efforts have mostly focused on Dipteran insects, which only account for a subset of existing arthropod species in nature. Here, we describe immune cells or hemocytes from the clinically relevant tick Ixodes scapularis using bulk and single cell RNA sequencing combined with depletion via clodronate liposomes, RNA interference, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats activation (CRISPRa) and RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We observe molecular alterations in hemocytes upon tick infestation of mammals and infection with either the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi or the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We predict distinct hemocyte lineages and reveal clusters exhibiting defined signatures for immunity, metabolism, and proliferation during hematophagy. Furthermore, we perform a mechanistic characterization of two I. scapularis hemocyte markers: hemocytin and astakine. Depletion of phagocytic hemocytes affects hemocytin and astakine levels, which impacts blood feeding and molting behavior of ticks. Hemocytin specifically affects the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway, whereas astakine alters hemocyte proliferation in I. scapularis. Altogether, we uncover the heterogeneity and pleiotropic roles of hemocytes in ticks and provide a valuable resource for comparative biology in arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Rolandelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hanna J. Laukaitis-Yousey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Haikel N. Bogale
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Nisha Singh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sourabh Samaddar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anya J. O’Neal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Camila R. Ferraz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Matthew Butnaru
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | - Enzo Mameli
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Baolong Xia
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - M. Tays Mendes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - L. Rainer Butler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Liron Marnin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Francy E. Cabrera Paz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Luisa M. Valencia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Vipin S. Rana
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Ciaran Skerry
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephanie E. Mohr
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | - David Serre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joao H.F. Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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