Emerging tickborne viruses vectored by <i>Amblyomma americanum</i> (Ixodida: Ixodidae): Heartland and Bourbon viruses

Dupuis, Alan P; Lange, Rachel E; Ciota, Alexander T

doi:10.1093/jme/tjad060

Cited by 5 publications

References 190 publications

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Is dragging a drag or is trapping a trap? A comparison of two methods for collecting Amblyomma americanum ticks in sites near the species range boundary

Briggs,

Trimmell,

Monzón

2024

Exp Appl Acarol

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The incidence of tick-borne diseases in the United States has more than doubled since the early 2000s. Research on ticks is a priority to mitigate the spread of tick-borne diseases. Thus, it is important to understand how to efficiently collect large numbers of ticks for studies of genetics, behavior, physiology, vector competence, tick repellants, and acaricides. In this study, we compared the efficiency of two methods—dragging and CO2-baited trapping—for collecting lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) across two distinct regions of its expanding range. We performed simultaneous dragging and trapping collections at six sites, three in Oklahoma and three in New York and New Jersey, USA. Our results demonstrate that dragging was more efficient than trapping for collecting lone star tick nymphs. However, dragging and trapping were similar in efficiency for collecting adult males and females. There were no regional differences in trapping or dragging efficiency. Additionally, we discuss material and labor costs of each method to inform researchers who need to rapidly collect as many ticks as possible with the most efficient and cost-effective method.

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Is dragging a drag or is trapping a trap? A comparison of two methods for collecting Amblyomma americanum ticks in sites near the species range boundary

Briggs,

Trimmell,

Monzón

2024

Exp Appl Acarol

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Exploring midgut expression dynamics: longitudinal transcriptomic analysis of adult femaleAmblyomma americanummidgut and comparative insights with other hard tick species

Lu,

de Sousa Paula,

Ribeiro

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: Female ticks remain attached to their host for multiple days to complete a blood meal. This prolonged feeding period is accompanied by a significant increase in the tick size and body weight, paralleled by noteworthy changes to the tick midgut. While the midgut is recognized for its established role in blood storage and processing, its importance extends to playing a crucial role in the acquisition, survival, and proliferation of pathogens. Despite this, our overall understanding of tick midgut biology is limited. Results: We conducted a comprehensive longitudinal transcriptome analysis of the midgut in adult female A. americanum ticks across various feeding stages, including unfed, slow-feeding, and rapid-feeding phases. Our analysis revealed 15,599 putative DNA coding sequences (CDS) classified within 26 functional groups. Dimensional and differential expression analysis highlighted the dynamic transcriptional changes in the tick midgut as feeding progresses, particularly during the initial period of feeding and the transition from the slow-feeding to the rapid-feeding phase. Additionally, we performed an orthology analysis comparing our dataset with midgut transcriptomes from other hard ticks, such as Ixodes scapularis and Rhipicephalus microplus. This comparison allowed us to identify transcripts commonly expressed during different feeding phases across these three species. Conclusion: Our findings provide a detailed temporal resolution of numerous metabolic pathways in A. americanum, emphasizing the dynamic transcriptional changes occurring in the tick midgut throughout the feeding process. Furthermore, we identified conserved transcripts across three different tick species that exhibit similar expression patterns. This knowledge has significant implications for future research aimed at deciphering the physiological pathways relevant within the tick midgut. It also offers potential avenues for developing control methods that target multiple tick species.

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Focal persistence and phylodynamics of Heartland virus in Georgia

Bellman,

Shariatzadeh,

Ferrell

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-bone virus associated with severe illness in the U.S. There are large gaps in knowledge of HRTV diversity, evolution, and transmission due to a paucity of HRTV-positive samples and genome sequences. We identified a focal site of HRTV- positiveAmblyomma americanumticks in central Georgia and developed a novel multiplex- amplicon sequencing assay to generate full HRTV genome sequences. By screening over 21,000 field-collected ticks from 2021-2023, we identified six positive pools. Five were collected from the site in central Georgia where our group first detected HRTV-positive ticks in 2019, and one from a site in western Georgia approximately 175 km away. The HRTV genome sequences from Georgia were highly related, even across this distance and over five years. Reference HRTV genome sequences from across the U.S. were also geographically clustered. Time-scaled phylogenetic analysis suggested recent spread of HRTV in the U.S., with all available sequences sharing a common ancestor within the last 300 years, and sequences from Georgia sharing a common ancestor within the last 40 years. Our observed spatial clustering of HRTV and the high degree of genetic conservation in our persistent focus suggest the importance of small spatial dynamics in HRTV transmission ecology.Author SummaryHeartland virus (HRTV) was first discovered in humans in 2009 and has since caused over 60 cases of severe and fatal disease in the United States. HRTV is transmitted by the lone star tick,Amblyomma americanum, across the Southeast, East coast, and Midwest. Little information is known about how this virus circulates and changes across time and space due to a lack of genetic data. Here, we created a new procedure to generate more genetic sequence data for HRTV and collected over 21,000 ticks to screen for HRTV across three years in Georgia. We generated 6 new HRTV sequences and compared them to existing sequences from our group in Georgia, and across the country, finding evidence of regional clustering of HRTV and highly related HRTV across time in Georgia. Our analyses additionally found that this virus was likely introduced to the U.S. in the last 300 years. Our study provides new context and information in understanding the landscape and transmission of HRTV in the U.S.

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Emerging tickborne viruses vectored by Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae): Heartland and Bourbon viruses

Cited by 5 publications

References 190 publications

Is dragging a drag or is trapping a trap? A comparison of two methods for collecting Amblyomma americanum ticks in sites near the species range boundary

Is dragging a drag or is trapping a trap? A comparison of two methods for collecting Amblyomma americanum ticks in sites near the species range boundary

Exploring midgut expression dynamics: longitudinal transcriptomic analysis of adult femaleAmblyomma americanummidgut and comparative insights with other hard tick species

Focal persistence and phylodynamics of Heartland virus in Georgia

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