Sun Y, Chen C, Zeng C, Xia Q, Yuan C, Pei H. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus infection shapes gut microbiome of the tick vector Haemaphysalis longicornis.
Parasit Vectors 2024;
17:107. [PMID:
38444018 PMCID:
PMC10913621 DOI:
10.1186/s13071-024-06204-w]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Ticks serve as vectors for a diverse array of pathogens, including viruses responsible for both human and livestock diseases. Symbiotic bacteria hold significant potential for controlling tick-borne disease. However, the alteration of tick gut bacterial community in response to pathogen infection has not been analyzed for any tick-borne viruses. Here, the impact of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection on bacterial diversity in the gut of Haemaphysalis longicornis is investigated.
METHODS
Unfed tick females were artificially infected with SFTSV. The gut samples were collected and the genomic DNA was extracted. We then investigated alterations in gut bacterial composition in response to SFTSV infection through 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
RESULTS
The study found that a reduction in the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the tick gut following SFTSV infection. However, there were no significant changes in alpha diversity indices upon infection. Four genera, including Corynebacterium, Arthrobacter, Sphingomonas, and Escherichia, were identified as biomarkers for the tick gut without SFTSV infection. Notably, the predicted correlation network indicated that the biomarkers Sphingomonas and Escherichia exhibited positive correlations within the same subcommunity, which was altered upon viral infection.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings revealed that the change in tick gut bacterial composition upon SFTSV infection and could facilitate the discovery new target for tick-borne viral disease control.
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