Active surveillance of pathogens from ticks collected in New York State suburban parks and schoolyards

Yuan, Q. M.; Llanos-Soto, Sebastián; Gangloff-Kaufmann, Jody; Lampman, Joellen M.; Frye, Matthew; Benedict, Meghan C.; Tallmadge, Rebecca L.; Mitchell, Patrick K.; Anderson, Renee; Cronk, Brittany D.; Stanhope, Bryce J.; Jarvis, Ava R.; Lejeune, Manigandan; Renshaw, Randall W.; Laverack, Melissa; Lamb, Elizabeth; Goodman, Laura B.

doi:10.1111/zph.12749

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Several studies have identified a positive association between DIN and human incidence [39][40][41][42], although the strength of this association varies spatially [43]. Recreational areas have been identified as high risk environments for exposure to infected ticks [44][45][46][47][48], particularly at woodland-lawn ecotones where tick densities are often the greatest [44,49]. In suburban residential yards, frequently cited risk factors for the acarological hazard include proximity to woodland, lack of fencing, log and brush piles in the yard, bird-feeders and pet ownership [42,44,[50][51][52], all of which may enhance the number of hosts and tick off-host survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of tick-borne pathogen spillover into urban yards in New York City

2022

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Background The incidence of tick-borne disease has increased dramatically in recent decades, with urban areas increasingly recognized as high-risk environments for exposure to infected ticks. Green spaces may play a key role in facilitating the invasion of ticks, hosts and pathogens into residential areas, particularly where they connect residential yards with larger natural areas (e.g. parks). However, the factors mediating tick distribution across heterogeneous urban landscapes remain poorly characterized. Methods Using generalized linear models in a multimodel inference framework, we determined the residential yard- and local landscape-level features associated with the presence of three tick species of current and growing public health importance in residential yards across Staten Island, a borough of New York City, in the state of New York, USA. Results The amount and configuration of canopy cover immediately surrounding residential yards was found to strongly predict the presence of Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum, but not that of Haemaphysalis longicornis. Within yards, we found a protective effect of fencing against I. scapularis and A. americanum, but not against H. longicornis. For all species, the presence of log and brush piles strongly increased the odds of finding ticks in yards. Conclusions The results highlight a considerable risk of tick exposure in residential yards in Staten Island and identify both yard- and landscape-level features associated with their distribution. In particular, the significance of log and brush piles for all three species supports recommendations for yard management as a means of reducing contact with ticks. Graphical Abstract

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of tick-borne pathogen spillover into urban yards in New York City

2022

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“…Accurate characterization of the microbial communities that are associated with ticks is essential to understanding both the ticks and the diseases they transmit [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The most diverse and well-studied components of tick microbiomes are the bacteria [ 4 ], with different bacteria often interacting by interspecific and strain-level competitive displacement [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiome Composition and Borrelia Detection in Ixodes scapularis Ticks at the Northwestern Edge of Their Range

Sperling

Fitzgerald²,

Sperling

et al. 2020

TropicalMed

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Lyme disease-causing Borrelia burgdorferi has been reported in 10–19% of Ixodes ticks from Alberta, Canada, where the tick vector Ixodes scapularis is at the northwestern edge of its range. However, the presence of Borrelia has not been verified independently, and the bacterial microbiome of these ticks has not been described. We performed 16S rRNA bacterial surveys on female I. scapularis from Alberta that were previously qPCR-tested in a Lyme disease surveillance program. Both 16S and qPCR methods were concordant for the presence of Borrelia. The 16S studies also provided a profile of associated bacteria that showed the microbiome of I. scapularis in Alberta was similar to other areas of North America. Ticks that were qPCR-positive for Borrelia had significantly greater bacterial diversity than Borrelia-negative ticks, on the basis of generalized linear model testing. This study adds value to ongoing tick surveillance and is a foundation for deeper understanding of tick microbial ecology and disease transmission in a region where I. scapularis range expansion, induced by climate and land use changes, is likely to have increasing public health implications.

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“…POWV carrying ticks and human POWV infections have increased in the Northeastern (N.E.) U.S. (22,35,36) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Powassan Viruses Spread Cell to Cell During Direct Isolation from Ixodes Ticks and Persistently Infect Human Brain Endothelial Cells and Pericytes

Conde

Sánchez-Vicente

Saladino

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Powassan viruses (POWVs) are neurovirulent tick-borne flaviviruses emerging in the Northeastern U.S., with a 2% prevalence in Long Island (LI) deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis). POWVs are transmitted during a 15 minutes tick bite, and enter the CNS to cause encephalitis (10% fatal) and long-term neuronal damage. POWV-LI9 and POWV-LI41 present in LI Ixodesticks were isolated by directly inoculating VeroE6 cells with tick homogenates and detecting POWV infected cells by immunoperoxidase staining. Inoculated POWV-LI9 and LI41 were exclusively present in infected cell foci, indicative of spread cell to cell, despite growth in liquid culture without an overlay. Cloning and sequencing establish POWV-LI9 as a phylogenetically distinct lineage II POWV strain circulating in LI deer ticks. Primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) and pericytes form a neurovascular complex that restricts entry into the CNS. We found that POWV-LI9, -LI41 and Lineage I POWV-LB, productively infect hBMECs and pericytes and that POWVs were basolaterally transmitted from hBMECs to lower chamber pericytes without permeabilizing polarized hBMECs. Synchronous POWV-LI9 infection of hBMECs and pericytes induced proinflammatory chemokines, interferon-b(IFNb) and IFN-stimulated genes, with delayed IFNbsecretion by infected pericytes. IFN inhibited POWV infection, but despite IFN secretion a subset of POWV infected hBMECs and pericytes remained persistently infected. These findings suggest a potential mechanism for POWVs (LI9/LI41 and LB) to infect hBMECs, spread basolaterally to pericytes and enter the CNS. hBMEC and pericyte responses to POWV infection suggest a role for immunopathology in POWV neurovirulence and potential therapeutic targets for preventing POWV spread to neuronal compartments.

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Active surveillance of pathogens from ticks collected in New York State suburban parks and schoolyards

Cited by 20 publications

References 65 publications

Risk of tick-borne pathogen spillover into urban yards in New York City

Risk of tick-borne pathogen spillover into urban yards in New York City

Microbiome Composition and Borrelia Detection in Ixodes scapularis Ticks at the Northwestern Edge of Their Range

Powassan Viruses Spread Cell to Cell During Direct Isolation from Ixodes Ticks and Persistently Infect Human Brain Endothelial Cells and Pericytes

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