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Wimms C, Aljundi E, Halsey SJ. Regional dynamics of tick vectors of human disease. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 55:101006. [PMID: 36702303 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The expansion of tick-borne diseases challenges ecologists, epidemiologists, and public health professionals to understand the mechanisms underlying its emergence. The vast majority of tick-borne disease research emphasizes Ixodes spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi, with less known about other Ixodidae ticks that serve as vectors for an increasing number of pathogens of public health concern. Here, we review and discuss the current knowledge of tick and tick-borne pathogens in an undersurveilled region of the United States. We discuss how landscape shifts may potentially influence tick vector dynamics and expansion. We also discuss the impact of climate change on the phenology of ticks and subsequent disease transmission. Increased efforts in the Central Plains to conduct basic science will help understand the patterns of tick distribution and pathogen prevalence. It is crucial to develop intensive datasets that may be used to generate models that can aid in developing mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle Wimms
- Applied Computational Ecology Lab, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Evan Aljundi
- Applied Computational Ecology Lab, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Samniqueka J Halsey
- Applied Computational Ecology Lab, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
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Noden BH, Dubie TR, Henriquez BE, Gilliland M, Talley JL. Seasonality of Ticks and Prevalence of Rickettsiae Species in Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma maculatum Across Oklahoma Pastures. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:1033-1041. [PMID: 35289851 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Tick-borne diseases are an increasing concern for people and companion animals in the United States, but there is a need for continued vigilance regarding livestock in pasture systems. The south-central United States has some of the highest incidences of tick-borne diseases, and there is a need to re-examine the ecology of tick vectors in relation to pasture systems and livestock. The objective of this study was to establish a baseline of seasonal activity for tick species in diverse regional Oklahoma pastures and screen for important pathogens in Dermacentor variabilis (Say) and Amblyomma maculatum Koch group that may impact livestock and human health. Between 2015 and 2017, transects in five pastures across Oklahoma were visited each month. DNA extracted from adult D. variabilis and A. maculatum group was tested for the presence of bacterial pathogens. We found that tick communities in pastures across Oklahoma differ by season, abundance, and bacterial presence and prevalence. The peak abundance of Amblyomma americanum (L.) adults and nymphs occurred a month earlier over the 2 yr of the study compared with historical studies in the same regions. Additionally, we observed notable differences in peak activity between A. americanum adults and nymphs collected in pastures in central Oklahoma (April) versus pastures in northern part of the state (May). We detected Rickettsia parkeri, R. bellii, and Anaplasma sp. DNA in D. variabilis from pastures across the state. These results potentially have important ramifications for human and livestock risk of encountering infected ticks in pastures across the southern Great Plains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce H Noden
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Trisha R Dubie
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Brandon E Henriquez
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Meghan Gilliland
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Justin L Talley
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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Noden BH, Roselli MA, Loss SR. Effect of Urbanization on Presence, Abundance, and Coinfection of Bacteria and Protozoa in Ticks in the US Great Plains. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:957-968. [PMID: 35024846 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization alters components of natural ecosystems which can affect tick abundance and tick-borne disease prevalence. Likely due to these changes, tick-borne pathogen prevalence has increased in many U.S. urban areas. Despite the growing public health importance of tick-borne diseases, little is known about how they are influenced by urbanization in North America, especially in the central U.S. where several pathogens occur at or near their highest levels of incidence nationally. To determine whether urban development influences tick infection with bacteria and protozoa, we collected ticks at 16 parks across a gradient of urbanization intensity in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA and tested them using a variety of PCR assays. Adult ticks tested positive for Rickettsia parkeri, R. amblyommatis, R. rhiphicephali, 'Candidatus R. andeanae', Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, Panola Mountain Ehrlichia, 'Borrelia lonestari', Theileria cervi, Babesia spp. Coco, and Cytauxzoon felis. These results indicate the presence of a high diversity of tick-borne bacteria and protozoa across an expanding urban area in the U.S. Great Plains. Although there appeared to be some risk of encountering tick-borne microorganisms across the entire urbanization gradient, E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, and T. cervi-infected ticks and microbe diversity decreased with increasing urbanization intensity. We identified a low rate of coinfection between different microorganisms, with coinfected ticks mainly collected from sites in the least-urbanized areas. This study suggests the need for awareness of tick-borne disease risk throughout urban areas in the central U.S., and highlights a need for studies of tick host habitat use and movement in cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce H Noden
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Megan A Roselli
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Scott R Loss
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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Unexpected winter questing activity of ticks in the Central Midwestern United States. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259769. [PMID: 34762706 PMCID: PMC8584693 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Unexpected questing activity of ticks was noted during the winter months of January and February in the Central Midwestern states of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. From nine geographically distinct locations, four species of ticks were collected using the flagging method, of which the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, was most abundant, followed by the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, the Gulf coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum, and the Black legged tick, Ixodes scapularis. More A. americanum nymphs were caught questing than male or female adults. The winter activity of these medically important ticks in this region poses concern for public health and offers an insight into future tick activity in light of ongoing climate change. More studies on the seasonality of these tick species, and how different climate parameters affect their seasonal activity in this region are warranted and would be expected to benefit for both human and veterinary medicine.
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Hroobi A, Boorgula GD, Gordon D, Bai J, Goodin D, Anderson G, Wilson S, Staggs A, Raghavan RK. Diversity and seasonality of host-seeking ticks in a periurban environment in the Central Midwest (USA). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250272. [PMID: 33891636 PMCID: PMC8064531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Between March 2014 and February 2017, host-seeking ticks were collected during the late spring and summer months seasonally, and as well as continually through all seasons from several sites in a periurban environment in Pittsburg, Kansas, located in the Central Midwestern United States. All three post-emergent life-stages of Amblyomma americanum, and the adults of three other ticks viz. Dermacentor variabilis, A. maculatum, and Ixodes scapularis were collected using the flagging method, and were taxonomically identified using morphological and molecular methods. A total of 15946 ticks were collected from these sites. A vast majority of the ticks collected over the three-year study period was A. americanum (79.01%). The three other species collected included D. variabilis (13.10%), A. maculatum (7.15%), and Ixodes scapularis (0.73%). More female ticks of each species were collected throughout the study period from all sites, and a unimodal activity period was noted for all four species. The diversity, composition, and phenology of these medically significant tick species are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Hroobi
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Gunavanthi D. Boorgula
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - David Gordon
- Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Jianfa Bai
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Doug Goodin
- Department of Geography, College of Arts and Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Gary Anderson
- Medgene Labs, Paola, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Savannah Wilson
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Alex Staggs
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Ram K. Raghavan
- Center for Vector-Borne and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Public Health, School of Health Professions, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Boorgula GDY, Peterson AT, Foley DH, Ganta RR, Raghavan RK. Assessing the current and future potential geographic distribution of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (Acari: Ixodidae) in North America. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237191. [PMID: 32776959 PMCID: PMC7416948 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, is a veterinary- and medically- significant tick species that is known to transmit several diseases to animal and human hosts. The spatial distribution of this species in North America is not well understood, however; and knowledge of likely changes to its future geographic distribution owing to ongoing climate change is needed for proper public health planning and messaging. Two recent studies have evaluated these topics for D. variabilis; however, less-rigorous modeling approaches in those studies may have led to erroneous predictions. We evaluated the present and future distribution of this species using a correlative maximum entropy approach, using publicly available occurrence information. Future potential distributions were predicted under two representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios; RCP 4.5 for low-emissions and RCP 8.5 for high-emissions. Our results indicated a broader current distribution of this species in all directions relative to its currently known extent, and dramatic potential for westward and northward expansion of suitable areas under both climate change scenarios. Implications for disease ecology and public health are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunavanthi D. Y. Boorgula
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - A. Townsend Peterson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Desmond H. Foley
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Department of Entomology, National Museum of History, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Roman R. Ganta
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Ram K. Raghavan
- Center for Vector-borne and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Health Professions, University of Missouri, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Raghavan RK, Peterson AT, Cobos ME, Ganta R, Foley D. Current and Future Distribution of the Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acari: Ixodidae) in North America. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0209082. [PMID: 30601855 PMCID: PMC6314611 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Acarological surveys in areas outside the currently believed leading edge of the distribution of lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum), coupled with recent reports of their identification in previously uninvaded areas in the public health literature, suggest that this species is more broadly distributed in North America than currently understood. Therefore, we evaluated the potential geographic extent under present and future conditions using ecological niche modeling approach based on museum records available for this species at the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU). The median prediction of a best fitting model indicated that lone star ticks are currently likely to be present in broader regions across the Eastern Seaboard as well as in the Upper Midwest, where this species could be expanding its range. Further northward and westward expansion of these ticks can be expected as a result of ongoing climate change, under both low- and high-emissions scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram K. Raghavan
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - A. Townsend Peterson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Marlon E. Cobos
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Roman Ganta
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Des Foley
- Division of Entomology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
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Rickettsia parkeri in Amblyomma dubitatum ticks in a spotted fever focus from the Brazilian Pampa. Acta Trop 2017; 171:182-185. [PMID: 28359827 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Spotted fever is an acute febrile illness, which is considered severely underreported and misdiagnosed in the Brazilian Pampa, caused by tick-borne Rickettsiae. Here, we report an eco-epidemiological investigation of Rickettsia spp. in ticks from a spotted fever focus in Toropi, southern Brazil. Ticks were collected from capybara carcasses and processed individually to obtain genomic DNA. Rickettsia was investigated using PCR that amplified the rickettsial fragments of the gltA, ompA and htrA genes. DNA from Rickettsia parkeri was found in four of 14 Amblyomma dubitatum ticks collected from capybara carcasses in Toropi and the nearby municipality of Quevedos. We also tested 210A. dubitatum ticks obtained from road-killed capybaras of other localities from the Pampa biome; none of them were positive for Rickettsiae. Thus, in Rio Grande do Sul, two Rickettsia species can be potentially associated to spotted fever: Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic Rainforest, associated with Amblyomma ovale ticks in the Atlantic Rainforest biome, and R. parkeri, associated both with Amblyomma tigrinum and A. dubitatum ticks in the Pampa biome. Our results reinforce that R. parkeri may be the agent associated with spotted fever in the Brazilian Pampa.
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