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Eisen L, Saunders MEM, Kramer VL, Eisen RJ. History of the geographic distribution of the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus, in the United States. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102325. [PMID: 38387162 PMCID: PMC10960675 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102325] [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: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Ixodes pacificus (the western blacklegged tick) occurs in the far western United States (US), where it commonly bites humans. This tick was not considered a species of medical concern until it was implicated in the 1980s as a vector of Lyme disease spirochetes. Later, it was discovered to also be the primary vector to humans in the far western US of agents causing anaplasmosis and hard tick relapsing fever. The core distribution of I. pacificus in the US includes California, western Oregon, and western Washington, with outlier populations reported in Utah and Arizona. In this review, we provide a history of the documented occurrence of I. pacificus in the US from the 1890s to present, and discuss associations of its geographic range with landscape, hosts, and climate. In contrast to Ixodes scapularis (the blacklegged tick) in the eastern US, there is no evidence for a dramatic change in the geographic distribution of I. pacificus over the last half-century. Field surveys in the 1930s and 1940s documented I. pacificus along the Pacific Coast from southern California to northern Washington, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and in western Utah. County level collection records often included both immatures and adults of I. pacificus, recovered by drag sampling or from humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. The estimated geographic distribution presented for I. pacificus in 1945 by Bishopp and Trembley is similar to that presented in 2022 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no clear evidence of range expansion for I. pacificus, separate from tick records in new areas that could have resulted from newly initiated or intensified surveillance efforts. Moreover, there is no evidence from long-term studies that the density of questing I. pacificus ticks has increased over time in specific areas. It therefore is not surprising that the incidence of Lyme disease has remained stable in the Pacific Coast states from the early 1990s, when it became a notifiable condition, to present. We note that deforestation and deer depredation were less severe in the far western US during the 1800s and early 1900s compared to the eastern US. This likely contributed to I. pacificus maintaining stable, widespread populations across its geographic range in the far western US in the early 1900s, while I. scapularis during the same time period appears to have been restricted to a small number of geographically isolated refugia sites within its present range in the eastern US. The impact that a warming climate may have had on the geographic distribution and local abundance of I. pacificus in recent decades remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States.
| | - Megan E M Saunders
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, 1616 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95814, United States
| | - Vicki L Kramer
- Vector-Borne Disease Section, California Department of Public Health, 1616 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95814, United States
| | - Rebecca J Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
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Pascoe EL, Vaughn CE, Jones MI, Barrett RH, Foley JE, Lane RS. Recovery of western black-legged tick and vertebrate populations after a destructive wildfire in an intensively-studied woodland in northern California. J Vector Ecol 2023; 48:19-36. [PMID: 37255356 DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-48.1.19] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing severity and frequency of wildfires, knowledge about how fire impacts the ecology of tick-borne pathogens is limited. In 2018, the River Fire burned a forest in the far-western U.S.A. where the ecology of tick-borne pathogens had been studied for decades. Forest structure, avifauna, large and small mammals, lizards, ticks, and tick-borne pathogens (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi) were assessed after the wildfire in 2019 and 2020. Burning reduced canopy cover and eliminated the layer of thick leaf litter that hosted free-living ticks, which over time was replaced by forbs and grasses. Tick abundance and the vertebrate host community changed dramatically. Avian species adapted to cavity nesting became most prevalent, while the number of foliage-foraging species increased by 83% as vegetation regenerated. Nine mammalian species were observed on camera traps, including sentinel (black-tailed jackrabbits) and reservoir hosts (western gray squirrels) of B. burgdorferi. One Peromyscus sp. mouse was captured in 2019 but by 2020, numbers were rebounding (n=37), although tick infestations on rodents remained sparse (0.2/rodent). However, western fence lizards (n=19) hosted 8.6 ticks on average in 2020. Assays for pathogens found no B. miyamotoi in either questing or host-feeding ticks, A. phagocytophilum DNA in 4% (1/23) in 2019, and 17% (29/173) in 2020 for questing and host-feeding ticks combined, and B. burgdorferi DNA in just 1% of all ticks collected in 2020 (2/173). We conclude that a moderately severe wildfire can have dramatic impacts on the ecology of tick-borne pathogens, with changes posited to continue for multiple years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Pascoe
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A.,
| | - Charles E Vaughn
- University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center, Hopland, CA 95449, U.S.A
| | - Michael I Jones
- University of California Cooperative Extension-Mendocino County, Ukiah, CA 95482, U.S.A
| | - Reginald H Barrett
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A
| | - Janet E Foley
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Robert S Lane
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A
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Socarras KM, Haslund-Gourley BS, Cramer NA, Comunale MA, Marconi RT, Ehrlich GD. Large-Scale Sequencing of Borreliaceae for the Construction of Pan-Genomic-Based Diagnostics. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1604. [PMID: 36140772 PMCID: PMC9498496 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091604] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The acceleration of climate change has been associated with an alarming increase in the prevalence and geographic range of tick-borne diseases (TBD), many of which have severe and long-lasting effects-particularly when treatment is delayed principally due to inadequate diagnostics and lack of physician suspicion. Moreover, there is a paucity of treatment options for many TBDs that are complicated by diagnostic limitations for correctly identifying the offending pathogens. This review will focus on the biology, disease pathology, and detection methodologies used for the Borreliaceae family which includes the Lyme disease agent Borreliella burgdorferi. Previous work revealed that Borreliaceae genomes differ from most bacteria in that they are composed of large numbers of replicons, both linear and circular, with the main chromosome being the linear with telomeric-like termini. While these findings are novel, additional gene-specific analyses of each class of these multiple replicons are needed to better understand their respective roles in metabolism and pathogenesis of these enigmatic spirochetes. Historically, such studies were challenging due to a dearth of both analytic tools and a sufficient number of high-fidelity genomes among the various taxa within this family as a whole to provide for discriminative and functional genomic studies. Recent advances in long-read whole-genome sequencing, comparative genomics, and machine-learning have provided the tools to better understand the fundamental biology and phylogeny of these genomically-complex pathogens while also providing the data for the development of improved diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla M. Socarras
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
| | - Benjamin S. Haslund-Gourley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
| | - Nicholas A. Cramer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, Room 101 Health Sciences Research Building, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Mary Ann Comunale
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
| | - Richard T. Marconi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, Room 101 Health Sciences Research Building, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Garth D. Ehrlich
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 1112 East Clay Street, Room 101 Health Sciences Research Building, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
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Mcvicar M, Rivera I, Reyes JB, Gulia-nuss M. Ecology of Ixodes pacificus Ticks and Associated Pathogens in the Western United States. Pathogens 2022; 11:89. [PMID: 35056037 PMCID: PMC8780575 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11010089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is the most important vector-borne disease in the United States and is increasing in incidence and geographic range. In the Pacific west, the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus Cooley and Kohls, 1943 is an important vector of the causative agent of Lyme disease, the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Ixodes pacificus life cycle is expected to be more than a year long, and all three stages (larva, nymph, and adult) overlap in spring. The optimal habitat consists of forest cover, cooler temperatures, and annual precipitation in the range of 200–500 mm. Therefore, the coastal areas of California, Oregon, and Washington are well suited for these ticks. Immature stages commonly parasitize Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) and gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus), while adults often feed on deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus h. columbianus). Ixodes pacificus carry several pathogens of human significance, such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella, and Rickettsiales. These pathogens are maintained in the environment by many hosts, including small mammals, birds, livestock, and domestic animals. Although a great deal of work has been carried out on Ixodes ticks and the pathogens they transmit, understanding I. pacificus ecology outside California still lags. Additionally, the dynamic vector–host–pathogen system means that new factors will continue to arise and shift the epidemiological patterns within specific areas. Here, we review the ecology of I. pacificus and the pathogens this tick is known to carry to identify gaps in our knowledge.
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Fecchio A, Lugarini C, Ferreira A, Weckstein JD, Kuabara KMD, De La Torre GM, Ogrzewalska M, Martins TF, de Angeli Dutra D. Migration and season explain tick prevalence in Brazilian birds. Med Vet Entomol 2021; 35:547-555. [PMID: 34018221 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Neotropical birds are mostly parasitized by immature ticks and act as reservoir hosts of tick-borne pathogens of medical and veterinary interest. Hence, determining the factors that enable ticks to encounter these highly mobile hosts and increase the potential for tick dispersal throughout migratory flyways are important for understanding tick-borne disease transmission. We used 9682 individual birds from 572 species surveyed across Brazil and Bayesian models to disentangle possible avian host traits and climatic drivers of infestation probabilities, accounting for avian host phylogenetic relationships and spatiotemporal factors that may influence tick prevalence. Our models revealed that the probability of an individual bird being infested with tick larvae and nymphs was lower in partial migrant hosts and during the wet season. Notably, infestation probability increased in areas with a higher proportion of partial migrant birds. Other avian ecological traits known to influence tick prevalence (foraging habitat and body mass) and environmental condition that might constrain tick abundance (annual precipitation and minimum temperature) did not explain infestation probability. Our findings suggest that migratory flyways harbouring a greater abundance of migrant bird hosts also harbour a higher prevalence of immature ticks with potential to enhance the local transmission of tick-borne pathogens and spread across regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Fecchio
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil
| | - C Lugarini
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Aves Silvestres, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - A Ferreira
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - J D Weckstein
- Department of Ornithology, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - K M D Kuabara
- Department of Ornithology, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - G M De La Torre
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - M Ogrzewalska
- Laboratório de Vírus Respiratórios e Sarampo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-IOC, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - T F Martins
- Departamento de Laboratórios Especializados, Superintendência de Controle de Endemias-SUCEN, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Socarras KM, Earl JP, Krol JE, Bhat A, Pabilonia M, Harrison MH, Lang SP, Sen B, Ahmed A, Hester M, Mell JC, Vandegrift K, Ehrlich GD. Species-Level Profiling of Ixodes pacificus Bacterial Microbiomes Reveals High Variability Across Short Spatial Scales at Different Taxonomic Resolutions. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2021; 25:551-562. [PMID: 34406842 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2021.0088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims: Outbreaks of severe and chronic tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are on the rise. This is through the transmission of infectious disease agents to humans during tick feeding. The transmission rate and extent of microbial exchange, however, vary based on the tick microbiome composition. While select microbes are determined to be members of the normal tick microbiome and others are clearly recognized mammalian and/or avian pathogens, the status of many other members of the tick microbiota with respect to human and alternate host pathogenesis remains unclear. Moreover, the species-level 16S microbiome of prominent TBD vectors, including Ixodes pacificus, have not been extensively studied. To elucidate the I. pacificus microbiome composition, we performed a pan-domain species-specific characterization of the bacterial microbiome on adult I. pacificus ticks collected from two regional parks within Western California. Our methods provide for characterizing nuances within cohort microbiomes and their relationships to geo-locale of origin, surrounding fauna, and prevalences of known and suspected pathogens in relation to current TBD epidemiological zones. Methods: Ninety-two adult I. pacificus bacterial microbiomes were characterized using a high-fidelity, pan-domain, species-specific, full-length 16S rRNA amplification method using circular consensus sequencing performed on the Pacific Biosciences Sequel platform. Data analyses were performed with the MCSMRT data analysis package and database. Results: The species-specific I. pacificus microbiome composition illustrates a complex assortment of microflora, including over 900 eubacterial species with high taxonomic diversity, which was revealed to vary by sex and geo-locale, though the use of full-length 16S gene sequencing. The TBD-associated pathogens, such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia monacensis, were identified along with a host of bacteria previously unassociated with ticks. Conclusion: Species-level taxonomic classification of the I. pacificus microbiome revealed that full-length bacterial 16S gene sequencing is required for the granularity to elucidate the microbial diversity within and among ticks based on geo-locale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla M Socarras
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joshua P Earl
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jaroslaw E Krol
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Archana Bhat
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Max Pabilonia
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Meghan H Harrison
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Steven P Lang
- Exosome Diagnostics, a Bio-Techne Company, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bhaswati Sen
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Azad Ahmed
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael Hester
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joshua Chang Mell
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kurt Vandegrift
- Department of Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Penn State University; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Garth D Ehrlich
- Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Genomic Sciences, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Cabe PR. European Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris) as Vectors and Reservoirs of Pathogens Affecting Humans and Domestic Livestock. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11020466. [PMID: 33578636 PMCID: PMC7916395 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
European starlings are an abundant, widespread avian species frequently found in close association with human development and agriculture. The ability of starlings to carry and disperse pathogens of humans and domesticated livestock has received considerable attention, including studies of enteric bacteria, viruses, and some fungi. To investigate the importance of European starlings as disease vectors, I reviewed and assessed the available literature, comprising several hundred published papers. Although a wide variety of potential pathogens have been reported in starlings, the strongest evidence suggests that they may be responsible for harboring and dispersing some species of enteric bacteria, with Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni of perhaps greatest interest, and primarily in the context of dairies, concentrated animal feeding operations, and other intensive livestock agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Cabe
- Department of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450, USA
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Cumbie AN, Heller EL, Bement ZJ, Phan A, Walters EL, Hynes WL, Gaff HD. Passerine birds as hosts for Ixodes ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in southeastern Virginia. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12:101650. [PMID: 33486431 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The ecology of vector-borne diseases in a region can be attributed to vector-host interactions. In the United States, tick-borne pathogens are the cause of the highest number of reported vector-borne diseases. In the mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States, tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, have increased in incidence, with tick-host-pathogen interactions considered a contributing factor to this increase. Ticks become infected with pathogens after taking a blood meal from a systemically infected host or through a localized infection while co-feeding on a host with other infected ticks. The host not only plays a role in pathogen acquisition by the tick, but can also facilitate dispersal of the tick locally within a region or over greater distances into new geographical ranges outside of their historical distributional range. In this study conducted in southeastern Virginia (USA), we examined the interaction between both resident and migratory bird species and Ixodes ticks, the primary vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) the main causative agent of Lyme disease on the East coast of the United States. Over a two-year period (2012-2014), 1879 passerine birds were surveyed, with 255 Ixodes ticks tested for the presence of Borrelia spp. Eighty passerine birds (4.3 %) representing 17 bird species were parasitized by at least one Ixodes tick, but only three bird species were parasitized by Ixodes ticks that tested positive for B. burgdorferi s.s. Twenty Ixodes ticks (7.8 %) tested positive for B. burgdorferi s.s. with nearly all collected from resident bird species including the Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) and brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). Given that millions of birds pass through southeastern Virginia during migration, even with the low number of Ixodes ticks parasitizing passerine birds and the low prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.s. found within Ixodes ticks collected, the sheer volume of passerine birds suggests they may play a role in the maintenance and dispersal of B. burgdorferi s.s. in southeastern Virginia.
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Gillingham EL, Cull B, Pietzsch ME, Phipps LP, Medlock JM, Hansford K. The Unexpected Holiday Souvenir: The Public Health Risk to UK Travellers from Ticks Acquired Overseas. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17:E7957. [PMID: 33138220 PMCID: PMC7663673 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17217957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Overseas travel to regions where ticks are found can increase travellers' exposure to ticks and pathogens that may be unfamiliar to medical professionals in their home countries. Previous studies have detailed non-native tick species removed from recently returned travellers, occasionally leading to travel-associated human cases of exotic tick-borne disease. There are 20 species of tick endemic to the UK, yet UK travellers can be exposed to many other non-native species whilst overseas. Here, we report ticks received by Public Health England's Tick Surveillance Scheme from humans with recent travel history between January 2006 and December 2018. Altogether, 16 tick species were received from people who had recently travelled overseas. Confirmed imports (acquired outside of the UK) were received from people who recently travelled to 22 countries. Possible imports (acquired abroad or within the UK) were received from people who had recently travelled to eight European countries. Species-specific literature reviews highlighted nine of the sixteen tick species are known to vector at least one tick-borne pathogen to humans in the country of acquisition, suggesting travellers exposed to ticks may be at risk of being bitten by a species that is a known vector, with implications for novel tick-borne disease transmission to travellers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Gillingham
- Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK; (B.C.); (M.E.P.); (J.M.M.); (K.H.)
| | - Benjamin Cull
- Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK; (B.C.); (M.E.P.); (J.M.M.); (K.H.)
| | - Maaike E. Pietzsch
- Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK; (B.C.); (M.E.P.); (J.M.M.); (K.H.)
| | - L. Paul Phipps
- Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector-Borne Research Group, Department of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK;
| | - Jolyon M. Medlock
- Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK; (B.C.); (M.E.P.); (J.M.M.); (K.H.)
| | - Kayleigh Hansford
- Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK; (B.C.); (M.E.P.); (J.M.M.); (K.H.)
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10
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Fecchio A, Martins TF, Bell JA, De LaTorre GM, Bueno ER, Malaquias MJ, Pinho JB, Labruna MB, Dias RI. Host movement and time of year influence tick parasitism in Pantanal birds. Exp Appl Acarol 2020; 82:125-135. [PMID: 32856170 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-020-00530-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ticks are among the best studied parasitic groups as they spread important pathogens of medical and veterinary importance worldwide. Migratory birds can play an important role in transporting ticks infected with pathogens across wide geographic regions. It is therefore important to understand which factors promote tick parasitism rates across their avian hosts and the associated potential for disease spread. Here, we identified the host attributes of infestation probability of ticks from the genus Amblyomma in 955 birds from Pantanal, Brazil. Infestation rates exhibited considerable variation across the 129 avian species surveyed and were explained by both host ecological traits and evolutionary history. The probability of an individual bird being infested with immature ticks (larvae and/or nymphs) was higher across resident bird species that forage at ground level and during the wet season. Bird species that feed on vertebrates were less likely to be infested by ticks. Other ecological traits known to promote tick exposure (age, body mass, social behavior, and sex) did not predict infestation probability. Our findings demonstrate that tick occurrence in Pantanal birds is determined by avian host attributes, but tick occurrence throughout the year constrains exposure to host-seeking ticks. Moreover, the ecology of the avian host might prevent the potential spread of tick-borne diseases outside Pantanal as migratory hosts are likely less infested by ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Fecchio
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Avenida Fernando Corrêa da Costa 2367, Cuiabá, MT, 78060900, Brazil.
| | - Thiago F Martins
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Jeffrey A Bell
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
| | - Gabriel M De LaTorre
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Laboratório de Ecologia E Interações Antagonísticas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Elaine R Bueno
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Aves, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Moises J Malaquias
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Aves, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - João B Pinho
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Avenida Fernando Corrêa da Costa 2367, Cuiabá, MT, 78060900, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Aves, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Marcelo B Labruna
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Raphael I Dias
- Faculdade de Ciências da Educação e Saúde, Centro Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
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11
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Vanstreels RET, Yabsley MJ, Parsons NJ, Swanepoel L, Pistorius PA. A novel candidate species of Anaplasma that infects avian erythrocytes. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:525. [PMID: 30249284 PMCID: PMC6154407 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3089-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Anaplasma spp. are Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria transmitted by ticks. Even though numerous studies have detected DNA from Anaplasma spp. in the blood of birds, thus far mammals were the only vertebrates demonstrated to serve as competent hosts to these organisms. We report a novel candidate species of Anasplasma that was associated with cytoplasmic inclusions in the erythrocytes of an African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) in South Africa. Methods Cytoplasmic inclusions were morphologically characterized from freshly-produced blood smears, and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and groEL genes were used to evaluate the evolutionary relationships of the organism to other Anaplasmataceae. Results Dark-purple round or oval inclusions consistent with Anaplasmataceae morulae were observed in the cytoplasm of erythrocytes. Phylogenetic trees produced using different methods agreed that the organism detected in this study belongs to the genus Anaplasma, and suggested that it is most closely related to the cluster comprising A. centrale, A. capra, A. marginale and A. ovis. We propose provisionally naming the strain detected in this study as “Candidatus Anaplasma sphenisci”. Conclusions This is the first species of Anaplasma shown to produce cytoplasmic inclusions in avian cells, opening the possibility that cytoplasmic inclusions in avian erythrocytes that had previously been attributed to Aegyptianella sp. might in fact correspond to Anaplasma. Further studies on the molecular biology of avian-infecting Anaplasmataceae will be valuable to provide insight into the evolution and epidemiology of these organisms. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3089-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Eric Thijl Vanstreels
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU), Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. .,DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
| | - Michael J Yabsley
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Nola J Parsons
- Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Liandrie Swanepoel
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Pierre A Pistorius
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit (MAPRU), Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.,DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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12
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Werther K, Luzzi MDC, Gonçalves LR, de Oliveira JP, Alves Junior JRF, Machado RZ, André MR. Arthropod-borne agents in wild Orinoco geese (Neochen jubata) in Brazil. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2017; 55:30-41. [PMID: 29127991 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata) is an anatid species widely distributed in South America, scarce are the reports on the occurrence of arthropod-borne pathogens in this avian species. The present work aimed to verify, by serological and molecular methods, the occurrence of haemosporida piroplasmids and Anaplasmataceae agents in wild Orinoco geese captured in Brazil. Between 2010 and 2014, 62 blood samples were collected from free-living geese captured in the Araguaia River, Goiás State, Brazil. Six geese (10%) were seropositive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, showing titers ranging from 40 and 80. Twenty out of 62 blood samples (32.25%) were positive in nested PCR for hemosporidia (cytochrome b gene). Fifteen and five sequences shared identity with Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, respectively. Six out of 62 blood samples (9.68%) were positive in nested PCR for Babesia spp. (18S rRNA gene); one sequence showed to be closely related to Babesia vogeli. Thirty (48.38%) out of 62 Orinoco geese blood samples were positive in nested cPCR assays for Anaplasmataceae agents (16S rRNA gene): three for Anaplasma spp. and 27 for Ehrlichia. Six geese were simultaneously positive to Haemoproteus and Ehrlichia; three animals were co-positive to different Ehrlichia species/genotypes; and one goose sample was positive for both Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. The present work showed the occurrence of Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Babesia, Plasmodium, and Haemoproteus species in free-living N. jubata in Brazil. The threat of these arthropod-borne pathogens in Orinoco goose's fitness, especially during the breading season, should be assessed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Werther
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/ Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Mayara de Cássia Luzzi
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/ Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Luiz Ricardo Gonçalves
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/ Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana Paula de Oliveira
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/ Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Rosangela Zacarias Machado
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/ Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/ Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
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13
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Parker CM, Miller JR, Allan BF. Avian and Habitat Characteristics Influence Tick Infestation Among Birds in Illinois. J Med Entomol 2017; 54:550-558. [PMID: 28399205 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjw235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Avian movements are an important mechanism by which ticks and associated pathogens can colonize new locations. The temporal and geographic extent of tick and pathogen dispersal is dependent on tick phenology and host movements across a landscape. We evaluated bird-host traits and habitat characteristics that may influence tick infestation and subsequent dispersal in Illinois. To determine which characteristics of host species and habitats influence infestation, we examined captured birds in 22 forest patches across east-central Illinois during migratory periods in fall of 2012 and 2013, and spring of 2013 and 2014. We examined 1,028 birds of 78 species; 136 (13.2%) individuals representing 33 (42.3%) species were infested with at least one tick. We determined that infestation prevalence was greatest among birds that 1) forage primarily in the forest understory; 2) use large forest patches; 3) use patches with less invasive shrub cover. Furthermore, infestation intensity was greatest among birds captured during fall migration. These findings highlight the importance of avian and habitat traits that may influence tick infestation among passerine birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Parker
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, N-407 Turner Hall, MC-047, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801 (; )
| | - James R Miller
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, N-407 Turner Hall, MC-047, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801 (; )
| | - Brian F Allan
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, 320 Morrill Hall Urbana, IL 61801
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14
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Loss SR, Noden BH, Hamer GL, Hamer SA. A quantitative synthesis of the role of birds in carrying ticks and tick-borne pathogens in North America. Oecologia 2016; 182:947-959. [PMID: 27670413 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3731-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Birds play a central role in the ecology of tick-borne pathogens. They expand tick populations and pathogens across vast distances and serve as reservoirs that maintain and amplify transmission locally. Research into the role of birds for supporting ticks and tick-borne pathogens has largely been descriptive and focused in small areas. To expand inference beyond these studies, we conducted a quantitative review at the scale of North America to identify avian life history correlates of tick infestation and pathogen prevalence, calculate species-level indices of importance for carrying ticks, and identify research gaps limiting understanding of tick-borne pathogen transmission. Across studies, 78 of 162 bird species harbored ticks, yielding an infestation prevalence of 1981 of 38,929 birds (5.1 %). Avian foraging and migratory strategies interacted to influence infestation. Ground-foraging species, especially non-migratory ground foragers, were disproportionately likely to have high prevalence and intensity of tick infestation. Studies largely focused on Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, and non-migratory ground foragers were especially likely to carry B. burgdorferi-infected ticks, a finding that highlights the potential importance of resident birds in local pathogen transmission. Based on infestation indices, all "super-carrier" bird species were passerines. Vast interior areas of North America, many bird and tick species, and most tick-borne pathogens, remain understudied, and research is needed to address these gaps. More studies are needed that quantify tick host preferences, host competence, and spatiotemporal variation in pathogen prevalence and vector and host abundance. This information is crucial for predicting pathogen transmission dynamics under future global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R Loss
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, 008C Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
| | - Bruce H Noden
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Gabriel L Hamer
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sarah A Hamer
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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15
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Stephenson N, Foley J. Parallelisms and Contrasts in the Diverse Ecologies of the Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi Complexes of Bacteria in the Far Western United States. Vet Sci 2016; 3:E26. [PMID: 29056734 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci3040026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Revised: 09/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi are two tick-borne bacteria that cause disease in people and animals. For each of these bacteria, there is a complex of closely related genospecies and/or strains that are genetically distinct and have been shown through both observational and experimental studies to have different host tropisms. In this review we compare the known ecologies of these two bacterial complexes in the far western USA and find remarkable similarities, which will help us understand evolutionary histories and coadaptation among vertebrate host, tick vector, and bacteria. For both complexes, sensu stricto genospecies (those that infect humans) share a similar geographic range, are vectored mainly by ticks in the Ixodes ricinus-complex, utilize mainly white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) as a reservoir in the eastern USA and tree squirrels in the far west, and tend to be generalists, infecting a wider variety of vertebrate host species. Other sensu lato genospecies within each complex are generally more specialized, occurring often in local enzootic cycles within a narrow range of vertebrate hosts and specialized vector species. We suggest that these similar ecologies may have arisen through utilization of a generalist tick species as a vector, resulting in a potentially more virulent generalist pathogen that spills over into humans, vs. utilization of a specialized tick vector on a particular vertebrate host species, promoting microbe specialization. Such tight host-vector-pathogen coupling could also facilitate high enzootic prevalence and the evolution of host immune-tolerance and bacterial avirulence.
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16
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Foley J, Rejmanek D, Foley C, Matocq M. Fine-scale genetic structure of woodrat populations (Genus: Neotoma) and the spatial distribution of their tick-borne pathogens. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 7:243-253. [PMID: 26530982 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2014] [Revised: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Dusky-footed woodrats are territorial cricetid rodents that individually occupy large stick houses from which they foray to gather food, find mates, and engage in other activities. These rodents are often bitten by Ixodes spp. ticks and are reservoirs of some strains of tick-borne bacterial pathogens such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi. Limited dispersal by hosts and vectors could create fine-scale population structure where related hosts and pathogen exposure are co-distributed in space. To quantify population genetic structure and infection status, we genotyped 167 woodrats using a panel of 15 microsatellite loci from three northern California study sites: Soquel (SD), Cold Canyon (CC), and Quail Ridge (QR). We used quantitative PCR and serology to test for infection with A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi. All three populations maintained similar, moderately high levels of genetic variation. For A. phagocytophilum, the PCR-prevalence was higher at SD (30.0%) than CC (13%) and QR (7%) whereas the seroprevalence was similar at all three sites (13-18%). The B. burgdorferi PCR-prevalence at CC was 11%, no woodrats were PCR-positive at QR, and none were tested at SD. We found a negative correlation between pairwise genetic relatedness and spatial distance with the majority of highest order relatives occurring within 200m of one another. Related dyads were more likely to be adult females than males, suggesting that adult female residents are the primary source of spatially proximate, high-order relatives in woodrat populations. Despite spatial genetic clustering of hosts, our spatial window test found no significant clustering of pathogens. Woodrats that were seropositive for A. phagocytophilum had higher heterozygosity than seronegative woodrats, which could be consistent with genetically diverse individuals having greater capacity to mount an immune response. Overall, our analyses show that limited dispersal of individual woodrats leads to fine-scale genetic structure within populations. Genetic structure, coupled with the limited dispersal of I. pacificus ticks could result in disease dynamics that are uniquely restricted to small spatial scales. By combining host genetic and disease studies we are able to infer limited dispersal and structured populations among hosts which affect infectious disease clustering and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Foley
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Daniel Rejmanek
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Colin Foley
- Department of English, Chico State University, Chico, CA 95929, USA.
| | - Marjorie Matocq
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
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17
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Dugat T, Lagrée AC, Maillard R, Boulouis HJ, Haddad N. Opening the black box of Anaplasma phagocytophilum diversity: current situation and future perspectives. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2015; 5:61. [PMID: 26322277 PMCID: PMC4536383 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2015.00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a zoonotic obligate intracellular bacterium known to be transmitted by ticks belonging to the Ixodes persulcatus complex. This bacterium can infect several mammalian species, and is known to cause diseases with variable symptoms in many domestic animals. Specifically, it is the causative agent of tick-borne fever (TBF), a disease of important economic impact in European domestic ruminants, and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), an emerging zoonotic disease in Asia, USA and Europe. A. phagocytophilum epidemiological cycles are complex and involve different ecotypes, vectors, and mammalian host species. Moreover, the epidemiology of A. phagocytophilum infection differs greatly between Europe and the USA. These different epidemiological contexts are associated with considerable variations in bacterial strains. Until recently, few A. phagocytophilum molecular typing tools were available, generating difficulties in completely elucidating the epidemiological cycles of this bacterium. Over the last few years, many A. phagocytophilum typing techniques have been developed, permitting in-depth epidemiological exploration. Here, we review the current knowledge and future perspectives regarding A. phagocytophilum epidemiology and phylogeny, and then focus on the molecular typing tools available for studying A. phagocytophilum genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaud Dugat
- Laboratoire de Santé Animale, UMR Biologie Moléculaire et Immunologie Parasitaires, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de L'alimentation, de L'environnement et du Travail, Université Paris-Est Paris, France
| | - Anne-Claire Lagrée
- UMR Biologie Moléculaire et Immunologie Parasitaires, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est Paris, France
| | - Renaud Maillard
- UMR Biologie Moléculaire et Immunologie Parasitaires, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est Paris, France ; Unité Pathologie des Ruminants, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse Toulouse, France
| | - Henri-Jean Boulouis
- UMR Biologie Moléculaire et Immunologie Parasitaires, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est Paris, France
| | - Nadia Haddad
- UMR Biologie Moléculaire et Immunologie Parasitaires, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est Paris, France
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18
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Gonçalves DD, Moura RA, Nunes M, Carreira T, Vidotto O, Freitas JC, Vieira ML. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in humans in a rural area of Paraná State, Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2015; 46:571-5. [PMID: 26273276 PMCID: PMC4507553 DOI: 10.1590/s1517-838246220140097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This study describes the detection of Borrelia garinii and Borrelia
burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) in Brazilian individuals using PCR
and DNA sequencing. Our results suggest that these species are emerging
pathogens in this country, and additional studies are necessary to determine the
epidemiological characteristics of this disease in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Dib Gonçalves
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Programa de Pós-gradução em Ciência Animal, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brasil, Programa de Pós-gradução em Ciência Animal, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil. ; Universidade Paranaense, Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Paranaense, Umuarama, PR, Brasil, Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Paranaense, Umuarama, PR, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Assunção Moura
- Universidade Paranaense, Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Paranaense, Umuarama, PR, Brasil, Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Paranaense, Umuarama, PR, Brazil
| | - Mônica Nunes
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Medical Microbiology Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, Leptospirosis and Lyme Borreliosis Group, Medical Microbiology Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Teresa Carreira
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Medical Microbiology Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, Leptospirosis and Lyme Borreliosis Group, Medical Microbiology Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Odilon Vidotto
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brasil, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Julio Cesar Freitas
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brasil, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Maria Luísa Vieira
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Medical Microbiology Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, Leptospirosis and Lyme Borreliosis Group, Medical Microbiology Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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19
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Newman EA, Eisen L, Eisen RJ, Fedorova N, Hasty JM, Vaughn C, Lane RS. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes in wild birds in northwestern California: associations with ecological factors, bird behavior and tick infestation. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118146. [PMID: 25714376 PMCID: PMC4340631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) are found in a great diversity of vertebrates, most studies in North America have focused on the role of mammals as spirochete reservoir hosts. We investigated the roles of birds as hosts for subadult Ixodes pacificus ticks and potential reservoirs of the Lyme disease spirochete B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) in northwestern California. Overall, 623 birds representing 53 species yielded 284 I. pacificus larvae and nymphs. We used generalized linear models and zero-inflated negative binomial models to determine associations of bird behaviors, taxonomic relationships and infestation by I. pacificus with borrelial infection in the birds. Infection status in birds was best explained by taxonomic order, number of infesting nymphs, sampling year, and log-transformed average body weight. Presence and counts of larvae and nymphs could be predicted by ground- or bark-foraging behavior and contact with dense oak woodland. Molecular analysis yielded the first reported detection of Borrelia bissettii in birds. Moreover, our data suggest that the Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla), a non-resident species, could be an important reservoir for B. burgdorferi s.s. Of 12 individual birds (9 species) that carried B. burgdorferi s.l.-infected larvae, no birds carried the same genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. in their blood as were present in the infected larvae removed from them. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Our study is the first to explicitly incorporate both taxonomic relationships and behaviors as predictor variables to identify putative avian reservoirs of B. burgdorferi s.l. Our findings underscore the importance of bird behavior to explain local tick infestation and Borrelia infection in these animals, and suggest the potential for bird-mediated geographic spread of vector ticks and spirochetes in the far-western United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica A. Newman
- Energy and Resources Group, University of California, 310 Barrows Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
| | - Lars Eisen
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States of America
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado 80522, United States of America
| | - Rebecca J. Eisen
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado 80522, United States of America
| | - Natalia Fedorova
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
| | - Jeomhee M. Hasty
- Hawaii Department of Health, Sanitation Branch, Vector Control, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, United States of America
| | - Charles Vaughn
- University of California Hopland Research & Extension Center, Hopland, CA 95449, United States of America
| | - Robert S. Lane
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America
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