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Identification of Bacterial Communities and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Haemaphysalis spp. Collected from Shanghai, China. Trop Med Infect Dis 2022; 7:tropicalmed7120413. [PMID: 36548668 PMCID: PMC9787663 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7120413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks can carry and transmit a large number of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa, posing a huge threat to human health and animal husbandry. Previous investigations have shown that the dominant species of ticks in Shanghai are Haemaphysalis flava and Haemaphysalis longicornis. However, no relevant investigations and research have been carried out in recent decades. Therefore, we investigated the bacterial communities and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in Haemaphysalis spp. from Shanghai, China. Ixodid ticks were collected from 18 sites in Shanghai, China, and identified using morphological and molecular methods. The V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene were amplified from the pooled tick DNA samples and subject to metagenomic analysis. The microbial diversity in the tick samples was estimated using the alpha diversity that includes the observed species index and Shannon index. The Unifrac distance matrix as determined using the QIIME software was used for unweighted Unifrac Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). Individual tick DNA samples were screened with genus-specific or group-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for these TBPs and combined with a sequencing assay to confirm the results of the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We found H. flava and H. longicornis to be the dominant species of ticks in Shanghai in this study. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria are the main bacterial communities of Haemaphysalis spp. The total species abundances of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, are 48.8%, 20.8% and 18.1%, respectively. At the level of genus analysis, H. longicornis and H. flava carried at least 946 genera of bacteria. The bacteria with high abundance include Lactobacillus, Coxiella, Rickettsia and Muribaculaceae. Additionally, Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia japonica, Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis, Anaplasma bovis, Ehrlichia ewingii, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Coxiella spp. and Coxiella-like endosymbiont were detected in Haemaphysalis spp. from Shanghai, China. This study is the first report of bacterial communities and the prevalence of some main pathogens in Haemaphysalis spp. from Shanghai, China, and may provide insights and evidence for bacterial communities and the prevalence of the main pathogen in ticks. This study also indicates that people and other animals in Shanghai, China, are exposed to several TBPs.
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Sridhar R, Dittmar K, Williams HM. USING SURFACE WASHING TO REMOVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT FROM FLEA MICROBIOME ANALYSIS. J Parasitol 2022; 108:245-253. [PMID: 35687318 DOI: 10.1645/21-60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial metabarcoding is a common method to study the biology of blood-feeding arthropods and identify patterns of potential pathogen transmission. Before DNA extraction, specimens are often surface washed to remove environmental contaminants. While surface washing is common, its effects on microbial diversity remain unclear. We characterized the microbiome of the flea species Ceratophyllus idius, an avian ectoparasite, and a potential vector of pathogens, using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. Half of the nests from which fleas were collected were subjected to an environmental manipulation in which nesting materials were periodically replaced. In a crossed study design we surface washed half of the flea samples from each environmental condition to produce 4 experimental conditions. Environmental manipulations resulted in significant differences in the diversity and structure of the flea microbiome, but these differences were unapparent when specimens were surface washed. Furthermore, differential abundance testing of the experimental groups revealed that surface washing predominantly affected the abundance of bacterial groups that are characterized as environmental contaminants. These findings suggest that environmental changes primarily affect the surface microbiome of arthropods and that surface washing is a useful tool to reduce the footprint of the external microbiome on analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Sridhar
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260.,College of Medicine, Upstate Medical University, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York 13210
| | - Katharina Dittmar
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260
| | - Heather M Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260.,Department of Environment and Sustainability, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260
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Wu-Chuang A, Hodžić A, Mateos-Hernández L, Estrada-Peña A, Obregon D, Cabezas-Cruz A. Current debates and advances in tick microbiome research. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2022; 1:100036. [PMID: 35284884 PMCID: PMC8906078 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The main importance of ticks resides in their ability to harbor pathogens that can be transmitted to terrestrial vertebrates including humans. Recently, studies have focused on the taxonomic and functional composition of the tick microbiome, its microbial diversity and variation under different factors including tick species, sex, and environment among others. Of special interest are the interactions between the tick, the microbiome and pathogens since tick microbiome can influence pathogen colonization within the tick vector, and potentially, transmission to the vertebrate host. In this review, we tackled a synthesis on the growing field of tick microbiomes. We focus on the current state of tick microbiome research, addressing controversial and hotly debated topics and advances in the precise manipulation of tick microbiome. Furthermore, we discuss the innovative anti-tick microbiota vaccines as a possible tool for microbiome modulation and thus, control of tick-borne diseases. Deciphering tick-microbiome pathogen interactions can spur new strategies to control tick-borne diseases via modulation of tick microbiome. Whether the diversity observed in tick microbiomes concerns the biology or the methodology remains an open question. Tick immunity must play a major role in selecting ‘who stays and who leaves’ the microbiome. Anti-tick microbiota vaccines can target specific bacteria and subsequently modulate tick microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Wu-Chuang
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, F-94700, France
| | - Adnan Hodžić
- Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lourdes Mateos-Hernández
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, F-94700, France
| | | | - Dasiel Obregon
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
- Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13400-970, Brazil
| | - Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, F-94700, France
- Corresponding author.
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Tick Microbiomes in Neotropical Forest Fragments Are Best Explained by Tick-Associated and Environmental Factors Rather than Host Blood Source. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:AEM.02668-20. [PMID: 33514519 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02668-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The composition of tick microbiomes varies both within and among tick species. Whether this variation is intrinsic (related to tick characteristics) or extrinsic (related to vertebrate host and habitat) is poorly understood but important, as microbiota can influence the reproductive success and vector competence of ticks. We aimed to uncover what intrinsic and extrinsic factors best explain the microbial composition and taxon richness of 11 species of neotropical ticks collected from eight species of small mammals in 18 forest fragments across central Panama. Microbial richness varied among tick species, life stages, and collection sites but was not related to host blood source. Microbiome composition was best explained by tick life stage, with bacterial assemblages of larvae being a subset of those of nymphs. Collection site explained most of the bacterial taxa with differential abundance across intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Francisella and Rickettsia were highly prevalent, but their proportional abundance differed greatly among tick species, and we found both positive and negative cooccurrence between members of these two genera. Other tick endosymbionts (e.g., Coxiella and Rickettsiella) were associated with specific tick species. In addition, we detected Anaplasma and Bartonella in several tick species. Our results indicate that the microbial composition and richness of neotropical ticks are principally related to intrinsic factors (tick species and life stage) and collection site. Taken together, our analysis informs how tick microbiomes are structured and can help anchor our understanding of tick microbiomes from tropical environments more broadly.IMPORTANCE Blood-feeding arthropod microbiomes often play important roles in disease transmission, yet the factors that structure tick microbial communities in the Neotropics are unknown. Utilizing ticks collected from live animals in neotropical forest fragments, this study teases apart the contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic tick-associated factors on tick microbial composition as well as which specific microbes contribute to differences across tick species, tick life stages, the mammals they fed on, and the locations from where they were sampled. Furthermore, this study provides revelations of how notable tick-associated bacterial genera are interacting with other tick-associated microbes as well as the forest animals they encounter.
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Hery L, Guidez A, Durand AA, Delannay C, Normandeau-Guimond J, Reynaud Y, Issaly J, Goindin D, Legrave G, Gustave J, Raffestin S, Breurec S, Constant P, Dusfour I, Guertin C, Vega-Rúa A. Natural Variation in Physicochemical Profiles and Bacterial Communities Associated with Aedes aegypti Breeding Sites and Larvae on Guadeloupe and French Guiana. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:93-109. [PMID: 32621210 PMCID: PMC7794107 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01544-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Aedes aegypti develop in aquatic habitats in which mosquito larvae are exposed to physicochemical elements and microorganisms that may influence their life cycle and their ability to transmit arboviruses. Little is known about the natural bacterial communities associated with A. aegypti or their relation to the biotic and abiotic characteristics of their aquatic habitats. We characterized the physicochemical properties and bacterial microbiota of A. aegypti breeding sites and larvae on Guadeloupe and in French Guiana. In addition, we explored whether geographic location, the type of breeding site and physicochemical parameters influenced the microbiota associated with this mosquito species. We used large-scale 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 160 breeding sites and 147 pools of A. aegypti larvae and recorded 12 physicochemical parameters at the sampled breeding sites. Ordination plots and multiple linear regression were used to assess the influence of environmental factors on the bacterial microbiota of water and larvae. We found territory-specific differences in physicochemical properties (dissolved oxygen, conductivity) and the composition of bacterial communities in A. aegypti breeding sites that influenced the relative abundance of several bacteria genera (e.g., Methylobacterium, Roseoccocus) on the corresponding larvae. A significant fraction of the bacterial communities identified on larvae, dominated by Herbiconiux and Microvirga genera, were consistently enriched in mosquitoes regardless the location. In conclusion, territory-specific differences observed in the biotic and abiotic properties of A. aegypti breeding sites raise concern about the impact of these changes on pathogen transmission by different A. aegypti populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyza Hery
- Laboratory of Vector Control Research, Transmission Reservoir and Pathogens Diversity Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Morne Jolivière, Guadeloupe France
| | - Amandine Guidez
- Vector Control and Adaptation Unit, Cayenne, Institut Pasteur of French Guiana, Vectopôle Amazonien Emile Abonnenc, Cayenne, French Guiana France
| | | | - Christelle Delannay
- Laboratory of Vector Control Research, Transmission Reservoir and Pathogens Diversity Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Morne Jolivière, Guadeloupe France
| | | | - Yann Reynaud
- Laboratory of Vector Control Research, Transmission Reservoir and Pathogens Diversity Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Morne Jolivière, Guadeloupe France
| | - Jean Issaly
- Vector Control and Adaptation Unit, Cayenne, Institut Pasteur of French Guiana, Vectopôle Amazonien Emile Abonnenc, Cayenne, French Guiana France
| | - Daniella Goindin
- Laboratory of Vector Control Research, Transmission Reservoir and Pathogens Diversity Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Morne Jolivière, Guadeloupe France
| | - Grégory Legrave
- Laboratory of Environment and Food Hygiene, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Morne Jolivière, Guadeloupe France
| | - Joel Gustave
- Regional Health Agency of Guadeloupe, Gourbeyre, Guadeloupe France
| | - Stéphanie Raffestin
- Laboratory of Environment and Hygiene, Institut Pasteur of French Guiana, Cayenne, French Guiana France
| | - Sebastien Breurec
- Transmission, Reservoir and Diversity of Pathogens Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Pointe-à-Pitre, France
- Hyacinthe Bastaraud Faculty of Medicine, University of Antilles, Pointe-à-Pitre, France
- INSERM Centre for Clinical Investigation 1424, Pointe-à-Pitre, Les Abymes France
| | - Philippe Constant
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec Canada
| | - Isabelle Dusfour
- Vector Control and Adaptation Unit, Cayenne, Institut Pasteur of French Guiana, Vectopôle Amazonien Emile Abonnenc, Cayenne, French Guiana France
| | - Claude Guertin
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec Canada
| | - Anubis Vega-Rúa
- Laboratory of Vector Control Research, Transmission Reservoir and Pathogens Diversity Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe, Morne Jolivière, Guadeloupe France
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Gittens RA, Almanza A, Bennett KL, Mejía LC, Sanchez-Galan JE, Merchan F, Kern J, Miller MJ, Esser HJ, Hwang R, Dong M, De León LF, Álvarez E, Loaiza JR. Proteomic fingerprinting of Neotropical hard tick species (Acari: Ixodidae) using a self-curated mass spectra reference library. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008849. [PMID: 33108372 PMCID: PMC7647123 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry is an analytical method that detects macromolecules that can be used for proteomic fingerprinting and taxonomic identification in arthropods. The conventional MALDI approach uses fresh laboratory-reared arthropod specimens to build a reference mass spectra library with high-quality standards required to achieve reliable identification. However, this may not be possible to accomplish in some arthropod groups that are difficult to rear under laboratory conditions, or for which only alcohol preserved samples are available. Here, we generated MALDI mass spectra of highly abundant proteins from the legs of 18 Neotropical species of adult field-collected hard ticks, several of which had not been analyzed by mass spectrometry before. We then used their mass spectra as fingerprints to identify each tick species by applying machine learning and pattern recognition algorithms that combined unsupervised and supervised clustering approaches. Both Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classification algorithms were able to identify spectra from different tick species, with LDA achieving the best performance when applied to field-collected specimens that did have an existing entry in a reference library of arthropod protein spectra. These findings contribute to the growing literature that ascertains mass spectrometry as a rapid and effective method to complement other well-established techniques for taxonomic identification of disease vectors, which is the first step to predict and manage arthropod-borne pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolando A. Gittens
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
- Centro de Neurociencias, INDICASAT AIP, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Alejandro Almanza
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Kelly L. Bennett
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Luis C. Mejía
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Javier E. Sanchez-Galan
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
- Grupo de Investigación en Biotecnología, Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas Computacionales, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Fernando Merchan
- Grupo de Investigación en Sistemas de Comunicaciones Digitales Avanzados, Facultad de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Jonathan Kern
- Grupo de Investigación en Sistemas de Comunicaciones Digitales Avanzados, Facultad de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama, Republic of Panama
- ENSEIRB-MATMECA–Bordeaux INP, France
| | - Matthew J. Miller
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States of America
| | - Helen J. Esser
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Robert Hwang
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - May Dong
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, United States of America
| | - Luis F. De León
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Eric Álvarez
- Programa Centroamericano de Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Jose R. Loaiza
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Panama, Republic of Panama
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
- Programa Centroamericano de Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama, Republic of Panama
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Bennett KL, Almanza A, McMillan WO, Saltonstall K, Vdovenko EL, Vinda JS, Mejia L, Driesse K, De León LF, Loaiza JR. Correction: Habitat disturbance and the organization of bacterial communities in Neotropical hematophagous arthropods. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225226. [PMID: 31697776 PMCID: PMC6837292 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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