Within-population diversity of bacterial microbiomes in winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus)

Sperling, Janet L.; MacDonald, Zachary G.; Normandeau, Jacalyn; Merrill, Evelyn H.; Sperling, Felix A. H.; Magor, Katharine E.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101535

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…and Rhipicephalus spp., collected from different animal hosts [63,72]. Occurrence of these maternally inherited symbionts seems to be crucial for tick survival since these bacteria may provide nutritional components, such as B-group vitamins, that normally lack in blood meals [73,74]. Co-speciation of FLEs and D. reticulatus has been previously suggested [34], however, our results on FLEs phylogeny do not support this hypothesis and are in line with previous studies that indicate a relatively recent association between the bacterium and Dermacentor ticks [75].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus, and Their Infection by SFG Rickettsiae and Francisella-Like Endosymbionts, in Mountain and Periurban Habitats of Northwestern Italy

Garcia-Vozmediano

Giglio

Ramassa³

et al. 2020

Veterinary Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated the distribution of Dermacentor spp. and their infection by zoonotic bacteria causing SENLAT (scalp eschar neck lymphadenopathy) in Turin province, northwestern Italy. We collected ticks in a mountain and in a periurban park, from vegetation and different animal sources, and we sampled tissues from wild boar. Dermacentor marginatus (n = 121) was collected in both study areas, on vegetation, humans, and animals, while D. reticulatus (n = 13) was exclusively collected on wild boar from the periurban area. Rickettsia slovaca and Candidatus Rickettsia rioja infected 53.1% of the ticks, and R. slovaca was also identified in 11.3% of wild boar tissues. Bartonella spp. and Francisella tularensis were not detected, however, Francisella-like endosymbionts infected both tick species (9.2%). Our findings provide new insights on the current distribution of Dermacentor spp. and their infection with a spotted-fever group rickettsiae in the Alps region. Wild boar seem to play a major role in their eco-epidemiology and dispersion in the study area. Although further studies are needed to assess the burden of rickettsial diseases, our results highlight the risk of contracting SENLAT infection through Dermacentor spp. bites in the region.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus, and Their Infection by SFG Rickettsiae and Francisella-Like Endosymbionts, in Mountain and Periurban Habitats of Northwestern Italy

Garcia-Vozmediano

Giglio

Ramassa³

et al. 2020

Veterinary Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Created with BioRender.com in the midguts of different tick species (Narasimhan and Fikrig 2015;Wu-Chuang et al 2021). In some settings the tick microbiome of individual ticks was found to be so disparate that no taxon was identified to be shared by all tested samples (e.g., Sperling et al 2020). Other studies showed that some tick species (e.g., Ornithodoros maritimus Vermeil & Marguet, 1967 and I. scapularis) has stable associations with bacteria of their microbiome, suggesting the existence of a core microbiome (Estrada-Peña et al 2020a, b;Gomard et al 2020).…”

Section: Antimicrobiota Vaccines a Precision Microbiology Tool For Tick Microbiome Manipulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-tick microbiota vaccines: how can this actually work?

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The main importance of ticks resides in their ability to harbor and transmit microorganisms that cause disease to animals and humans. In addition to pathogens, ticks coexist and interact with symbionts, and commensal bacteria that together form an ecological unit, the tick holobiont. The holobiont is an additional organismal level on which natural selection operates. The components of the tick hologenome, composed of host and microbiome genomes, are complimentary. In agreement with this proposition, antibiotic treatment produces disturbance of the tick-microbiota homeostasis which in turn decreases tick fitness and affects tick-pathogen interactions. Accordingly, we hypothesized that immune targeting of key members of the bacterial community of the tick microbiome by host antibodies could cause microbial dysbiosis with consequences for tick physiology and vector competence. Anti-tick microbiota vaccines were recently introduced as a tool to target the microbiota of vector arthropods by immunizing the vertebrate hosts against live keystone bacteria or tick microbiota bacterial proteins. This tool can also be used to target tick endosymbionts. Decreased abundance of selected keystone bacteria and/or endosymbionts may reshape the structure of tick microbial communities in a predictable manner. This tool can be used to manipulate the tick microbiome against ticks and transmitted pathogens. In this opinion, we explore the possibilities of this methodology for the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases.

show abstract

“…While a previous study identified H. marginatum-borne pathogens in several sites of collection in South of France between 2016 and 2019 ), information about the dynamics of these pathogens remain particularly scarce. We thus propose in this study a focus on the spatial distribution of H. marginatum-borne pathogens with a focus on its clustered distribution in Occitanie, and by taking into account the influence of others factors such as the tick sex and the engorgement status (Sperling et al 2020;Ahantarig et al 2013;Dergousoff and Chilton 2012;Gern, Zhu, and Aeschlimann 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns ofHyalomma marginatum-borne pathogens in the Occitanie region (France), a focus on the intriguing dynamics ofRickettsia aeschlimannii

Charlotte,

Célia,

David

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hyalomma marginatum is an invasive tick species reported in regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It has recently become established in mainland France in 2016. H. marginatum hosts a diverse range of human and animal pathogens such as Rickettsia aeschlimannii, Theileria equi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma marginale, Ehrlichia minasensis and West Nile virus. The objective of this study was to characterize the current spatial distribution of H. marginatum-borne pathogens in the region Occitanie, southern France and the influence of other factors (tick sex, engorgement status). A large-scale tick collection program was organized in the region Occitanie to answer these questions. A total of 510 ticks from 27 sites of four departments were analysed for pathogens presences and loads using both a high-throughput microfluidic real time PCR system and quantitative PCR. In the analysed ticks, we identified the tick-borne pathogens and their prevalence: Theileria equi (9.2%), Theileria orientalis (0.2%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (1.6%), Anaplasma marginale (0.8%) and Rickettsia aeschlimannii (87.3%). Interestingly, we highlighted a spatial clustered distribution for the pathogen R. aeschlimannii between two geographically isolated areas with infection rates and bacterial loads significantly lower in Herault/Gard departments (infection rate 78.6% in average) compared to Aude/Pyrenees-Orientales (infection rate 92.3% in average). R. aeschlimannii infection rates varied from one site to another, ranging from 29% to 100%, highlighting the importance of the sampling effort to better characterize the circulation of pathogens. Such high infection rate (87.3% in average) and the effective maternal transmission of R. aeschlimannii suggest a role as a tick symbiont in H. marginatum. On the other hand, currently identified as a human pathogen, its pathogenic status in humans is questioned given the low number of human cases. Further studies are thus needed to understand both the status and the role of R. aeschlimannii in H. marginatum ticks.

show abstract

Within-population diversity of bacterial microbiomes in winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus)

Cited by 9 publications

References 60 publications

Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus, and Their Infection by SFG Rickettsiae and Francisella-Like Endosymbionts, in Mountain and Periurban Habitats of Northwestern Italy

Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus, and Their Infection by SFG Rickettsiae and Francisella-Like Endosymbionts, in Mountain and Periurban Habitats of Northwestern Italy

Anti-tick microbiota vaccines: how can this actually work?

Spatial patterns ofHyalomma marginatum-borne pathogens in the Occitanie region (France), a focus on the intriguing dynamics ofRickettsia aeschlimannii

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About