<i>Rickettsia parkeri</i>and<i>Candidatus</i>Rickettsia andeanae in Gulf Coast Ticks, Mississippi, USA

Ferrari, F.A.G.; Goddard, Jerome; Paddock, Christopher D.; Varela‐Stokes, Andrea S.

doi:10.3201/eid1810.120250

Cited by 40 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…known to be associated with Nearctic vectors of the genus Dermacentor so far include: R. rickettsii , R. montanensis, and recently identified 364D Rickettsia ( Rickettsia phillipi , proposed) (Ammerman et al 2004, Shapiro et al 2010). Other known tick-borne rickettsial agents found in the US include the human pathogen, R. parkeri, as well as several endosymbiotic bacteria: R. amblyommii, R. andeanae, Rickettsia endosymbiont of A. tuberculatum present in Amblyomma ticks, and rickettsial endosymbiont of Ixodes scapularis (Paddock et al 2004, Ferrari et al 2012, Zemtsova et al 2012). The only species of SFG Rickettsia that has been reported up to date from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean is Rhipicephalus -borne R. massiliae (Oteo et al 2006, Eremeeva et al 2006) and Amblyomma -borne R. africae (Kelly 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Report ofRickettsiaIdentical toR. slovacain Colony-OriginatedD. variabilisin the United States: Detection, Laboratory Animal Model, and Vector Competence of Ticks

Zemtsova

Killmaster

Montgomery

et al. 2016

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ticks of the genus Dermacentor are known vectors of rickettsial pathogens in both the Old and New Worlds. In North America, Dermacentor variabilis and D. andersoni are vectors of Rickettsia rickettsii while in Europe, D. marginatus and D. reticulatus transmit R. slovaca and R. raoultii, respectively. Neither the presence of R. slovaca in the Americas, nor the ability of American tick species to maintain this pathogen have been reported. Here we describe detection of Rickettsia genetically identical to R. slovaca in D. variabilis, its molecular characterization, assessment of pathogenicity to guinea pigs, and vector competence of D. variabilis ticks. Ticks from a laboratory colony of D. variabilis, established from wild ticks and maintained on naïve NZW rabbits, tested positive for SFGR Rickettsia by PCR. Analysis of 17kDa, gltA, rpoB, ompA, ompB, and sca4 genes revealed 100% identity to R. slovaca sequences available in the Gene Bank. NZW rabbits fed upon by infected ticks seroconverted to SFG Rickettsia. Guinea pigs inoculated with the Rickettsia culture or infested by the infected ticks developed antibodies to SFGR. The intensity of clinical signs and immune response were dependent on dose and route of infection. The identified Rickettsia was detected in all life stages of D. variabilis ticks, confirming transstadial and transovarial transmission. Thirty six percent of uninfected larvae co-fed with infected nymphs on guinea pigs were PCR-positive and able to pass rickettsia to at least 11.7% of molted nymphs. To our knowledge this is a first report of identification of a European pathogen R. slovaca or a highly similar agent in the American dog tick - D. variabilis. Considering pathogenicity of R. slovaca in humans, further laboratory and field studies are warranted to assess the relevance of the above findings to the public health and epidemiology of SFG rickettsioses in the United States.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Report ofRickettsiaIdentical toR. slovacain Colony-OriginatedD. variabilisin the United States: Detection, Laboratory Animal Model, and Vector Competence of Ticks

Zemtsova

Killmaster

Montgomery

et al. 2016

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Since then, this SFG rickettsia has been identified throughout the U.S. range of A. maculatum ticks, occurring sympatrically with but typically at frequencies considerably lower than those of R. parkeri (98)(99)(100)(101)143). Coinfections of A. maculatum ticks with R. parkeri and "Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae" have been reported (100,101). The pathogenic potential of "Ca.…”

Section: North and Central Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first confirmed human infection with R. parkeri was reported in 2004, and approximately 15 cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis have been described in the literature since that initial report (66)(67)(68)(69)(70). In the United States, Amblyomma maculatum (the Gulf Coast tick) is the principal vector for these bacteria, and R. parkeri is detected in 8% to 43% of questing adult A. maculatum ticks collected in states along the Gulf Coast and the southern Atlantic region (95)(96)(97)(98)(99)(100)(101). R. parkeri is distributed throughout multiple tissues of infected A. maculatum ticks, including the salivary glands, the midgut, the Malpighian tubules, and the ovaries (102).…”

Section: North and Central Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

Update on Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: a Geographic Approach

et al. 2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus Rickettsia . These zoonoses are among the oldest known vector-borne diseases. However, in the past 25 years, the scope and importance of the recognized tick-associated rickettsial pathogens have increased dramatically, making this complex of diseases an ideal paradigm for the understanding of emerging and reemerging infections. Several species of tick-borne rickettsiae that were considered nonpathogenic for decades are now associated with human infections, and novel Rickettsia species of undetermined pathogenicity continue to be detected in or isolated from ticks around the world. This remarkable expansion of information has been driven largely by the use of molecular techniques that have facilitated the identification of novel and previously recognized rickettsiae in ticks. New approaches, such as swabbing of eschars to obtain material to be tested by PCR, have emerged in recent years and have played a role in describing emerging tick-borne rickettsioses. Here, we present the current knowledge on tick-borne rickettsiae and rickettsioses using a geographic approach toward the epidemiology of these diseases.

show abstract

“…Populations of A. maculatum occur throughout the southeastern and south-central states and along much of the eastern seaboard. Molecular surveys of Gulf Coast ticks collected from several locations in multiple states within its southern and eastern range reveal estimated rates of infection with R. parkeri in 8–52% of questing adult ticks (Sumner et al, 2007, Paddock et al, 2010, Fornadel et al, 2011, Wright et al, 2011, Varela-Stokes et al, 2011, Jiang et al, 2012, Ferrari et al, 2012, Nadolny et al, 2014, Florin et al, 2013, Pagac et al, 2014 and Florin et al, 2014). More than 35 cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis have been identified in patients from 9 states (Paddock and Goddard, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae” and apparent exclusion of Rickettsia parkeri in adult Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) from Kansas and Oklahoma

Paddock

Denison

Dryden

et al. 2015

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Amblyomma maculatum (the Gulf Coast tick), an aggressive, human-biting, Nearctic and Neotropical tick, is the principal vector of Rickettsia parkeri in the United States. This pathogenic spotted fever group Rickettsia species has been identified in 8–52% of questing adult Gulf Coast ticks in the southeastern United States. To our knowledge, R. parkeri has not been reported previously from adult specimens of A. maculatum collected in Kansas or Oklahoma. A total of 216 adult A. maculatum ticks were collected from 18 counties in Kansas and Oklahoma during 2011–2014 and evaluated by molecular methods for evidence of infection with R. parkeri. No infections with this agent were identified; however, 47% of 94 ticks collected from Kansas and 73% of 122 ticks from Oklahoma were infected with “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae” a spotted fever group Rickettsia species of undetermined pathogenicity. These preliminary data suggest that “Ca. R. andeanae” is well-adapted to survival in populations of A. maculatum in Kansas and Oklahoma, and that its ubiquity in Gulf Coast ticks in these states may effectively exclude R. parkeri from their shared arthropod host, which could diminish markedly or preclude entirely the occurrence of R. parkeri rickettsiosis in this region of the United States.

show abstract

Rickettsia parkeriandCandidatusRickettsia andeanae in Gulf Coast Ticks, Mississippi, USA

Cited by 40 publications

References 9 publications

First Report ofRickettsiaIdentical toR. slovacain Colony-OriginatedD. variabilisin the United States: Detection, Laboratory Animal Model, and Vector Competence of Ticks

First Report ofRickettsiaIdentical toR. slovacain Colony-OriginatedD. variabilisin the United States: Detection, Laboratory Animal Model, and Vector Competence of Ticks

Update on Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: a Geographic Approach

High prevalence of “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae” and apparent exclusion of Rickettsia parkeri in adult Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) from Kansas and Oklahoma

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About