Vertebrate Host Relationships and Distribution of Ixodid Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Connecticut, USA

1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Anderson ◽  
Louis A. Magnarelli
Keyword(s):  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Vertebrate Host ◽  
Host Relationships

Ecology, distribution and host relationships of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting livestock in Mali

1988 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Teel ◽  
D. E. Bay ◽  
P. A. Ajidagba
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Amblyomma Variegatum ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Delta Area ◽  
The North ◽  
Vegetation Zones ◽  
Hyalomma Marginatum ◽  
Host Relationships ◽  
Tropical Woodlands ◽  
First Time

AbstractA survey for ticks on livestock with emphasis on ticks parasitizing cattle was conducted below 16°N lat. in Mali. Seventeen species of ixodid ticks were recovered from cattle, 12 from sheep, five from goat, four from horse, one from donkey and four from camel. Amblyomma variegatum (F.), Boophilus geigyi Aeschlimann & Morel, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes Koch and H. truncatum Koch were widespread, and could each be collected as adults from cattle throughout the year in certain regions. A. variegatum was most numerous from the tropical woodlands to the Sahelo-Sudanian steppe. The prevalence of B. geigyi in Mali confirms an extended distribution of this species in West Africa. B. annulatus (Say) and B. decoloratus (Koch) were prevalent in the inland delta area and in south-western Mali. H. m. rufipes and H. truncatum were most numerous in the Sudanian and Sahelo-Sudanian steppe. H. dromedarii Koch, H. impeltatum Schulze & Schlottke and H. impressum Koch were collected in the steppeland areas. H. nitidum Schulze was collected for the first time in Mali. This comparatively more hydrophilic species was prevalent in the North Guinean forest and Sudano-Guinean vegetation zones. Of eight Rhipicephalus species from livestock, seven were collected from cattle: R. cuspidatus Neumann, R. evertsi evertsi Neumann, R. guilhoni Morel & Vassiliades, R. muhsamae Morel & Vassiliades, R. sanguineus (Latreille), R. senegalensis Koch and R. lunulatus Neumann. R. sulcatus Neumann was obtained only from sheep. The distribution and phytoclimatic associations of these species are discussed.

Displaced tick-parasite interactions at the host interface

Parasitology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 116 (S1) ◽  
pp. S65-S72 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Nuttall
Keyword(s):  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Vertebrate Host ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Reciprocal Interactions ◽  
Arthropod Vectors ◽  
Bioactive Proteins ◽  
Blood Sucking ◽  
Antiviral Activities ◽  
Vector Borne

SummaryReciprocal interactions of parasites transmitted by blood-sucking arthropod vectors have been studied primarily at the parasite–host and parasite–vector interface. The third component of this parasite triangle, the vector–host interface, has been largely ignored. Now there is growing realization that reciprocal interactions between arthropod vectors and their vertebrate hosts play a pivotal role in the survival of arthropod-borne viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. The vector–host interface is the site where the haematophagous arthropod feeds. To obtain a blood meal, the vector must overcome the host's inflammatory, haemostatic, and immune responses. This problem is greatest for ixodid ticks which may imbibe as much as 15 ml blood whilst continuously attached to their host for 10 days or more. To feed successfully, the interface between tick and host becomes a battle between the host's mechanisms for combating the tick and the tick's armoury of bioactive proteins and other chemicals which it secretes, via saliva, into the feeding lesion formed in the host's skin. Parasites entering this battlefield encounter a privileged site in their vertebrate host that has been profoundly modified by the pharmacological activities of their vector's saliva. For example, ticks suppress natural killer cells and interferons, both of which have potent antiviral activities. Not surprisingly, vector-borne parasites exploit the immunomodulated feeding site to promote their transmission and infection. Certain tick-borne viruses are so successful at this that they are transmitted from one infected tick, through the vertebrate host to a co-feeding uninfected tick, without a detectable viraemia (virus circulating in the host's blood), and with no untoward effect on the host. When such viruses do have an adverse effect on the host, they may impede their vectors' feeding. Thus important interactions between ticks and tick-borne parasites are displaced to the interface with their vertebrate host - the skin site of blood-feeding and infection.

scholarly journals Whole blood and blood components from vertebrates differentially affect egg formation in three species of anautogenous mosquitoes

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby E. Harrison ◽  
Mark R. Brown ◽  
Michael R. Strand
Keyword(s):  
Serum Albumin ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Digestive Enzyme ◽  
Vertebrate Host ◽  
Cell Protein ◽  
Blood Components ◽  
Blood Proteins ◽  
Serum Albumins ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Reproductive Response

Abstract Background Most female mosquitoes are anautogenous and must blood feed on a vertebrate host to produce eggs. Prior studies show that the number of eggs females lay per clutch correlates with the volume of blood ingested and that protein is the most important macronutrient for egg formation. In contrast, how whole blood, blood fractions and specific blood proteins from different vertebrates affect egg formation is less clear. Since egg formation is best understood in Aedes aegypti, we examined how blood and blood components from different vertebrates affect this species and two others: the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae and arbovirus vector Culex quinquefasciatus. Methods Adult female mosquitoes were fed blood, blood fractions and purified major blood proteins from different vertebrate hosts. Markers of reproductive response including ovary ecdysteroidogenesis, yolk deposition into oocytes and number of mature eggs produced were measured. Results Ae. aegypti, An. gambiae and C. quinquefasciatus responded differently to meals of whole blood, plasma or blood cells from human, rat, chicken and turkey hosts. We observed more similarities between the anthropophiles Ae. aegypti and An. gambiae than the ornithophile C. quinquefasciatus. Focusing on Ae. aegypti, the major plasma-derived proteins (serum albumin, fibrinogen and globulins) differentially stimulated egg formation as a function of vertebrate host source. The major blood cell protein, hemoglobin, stimulated yolk deposition when from pigs but not humans, cows or sheep. Serum albumins from different vertebrates also variably affected egg formation. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) stimulated ovary ecdysteroidogenesis, but more weakly induced digestive enzyme activities than whole blood. In contrast, BSA-derived peptides and free amino acids had no stimulatory effects on ecdysteroidogenesis or yolk deposition into oocytes. Conclusions Whole blood, blood fractions and specific blood proteins supported egg formation in three species of anautogenous mosquitoes but specific responses varied with the vertebrate source of the blood components tested.

scholarly journals Spiroplasma Infection among Ixodid Ticks Exhibits Species Dependence and Suggests a Vertical Pattern of Transmission

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 333
Author(s):  
Shohei Ogata ◽  
Wessam Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed ◽  
Kodai Kusakisako ◽  
May June Thu ◽  
Yongjin Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
16S Rdna ◽  
Tick Species ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Transmission Cycle ◽  
Frequent Event ◽  
Pcr Targeting

Members of the genus Spiroplasma are Gram-positive bacteria without cell walls. Some Spiroplasma species can cause disease in arthropods such as bees, whereas others provide their host with resistance to pathogens. Ticks also harbour Spiroplasma, but their role has not been elucidated yet. Here, the infection status and genetic diversity of Spiroplasma in ticks were investigated using samples collected from different geographic regions in Japan. A total of 712 ticks were tested for Spiroplasma infection by PCR targeting 16S rDNA, and Spiroplasma species were genetically characterized based on 16S rDNA, ITS, dnaA, and rpoB gene sequences. A total of 109 samples originating from eight tick species were positive for Spiroplasma infection, with infection rates ranging from 0% to 84% depending on the species. A linear mixed model indicated that tick species was the primary factor associated with Spiroplasma infection. Moreover, certain Spiroplasma alleles that are highly adapted to specific tick species may explain the high infection rates in Ixodes ovatus and Haemaphysalis kitaokai. A comparison of the alleles obtained suggests that horizontal transmission between tick species may not be a frequent event. These findings provide clues to understand the transmission cycle of Spiroplasma species in wild tick populations and their roles in host ticks.

scholarly journals Atlas of ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) in Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Rubel ◽  
Katharina Brugger ◽  
Lidia Chitimia-Dobler ◽  
Hans Dautel ◽  
Elisabeth Meyer-Kayser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tick Species ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Federal States ◽  
Ixodes Frontalis ◽  
Argas Reflexus ◽  
The One ◽  
Argasid Tick ◽  
First Time

AbstractAn updated and increased compilation of georeferenced tick locations in Germany is presented here. This data collection extends the dataset published some years ago by another 1448 new tick locations, 900 locations of which were digitized from literature and 548 locations are published here for the first time. This means that a total of 3492 georeferenced tick locations is now available for Germany. The tick fauna of Germany includes two species of Argasidae in the genera Argas and Carios and 19 species of Ixodidae in the genera Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes, altogether 21 tick species. In addition, three species of Ixodidae in the genera Hyalomma (each spring imported by migratory birds) and Rhipicephalus (occasionally imported by dogs returning from abroad with their owners) are included in the tick atlas. Of these, the georeferenced locations of 23 tick species are depicted in maps. The occurrence of the one remaining tick species, the recently described Ixodes inopinatus, is given at the level of the federal states. The most common and widespread tick species is Ixodes ricinus, with records in all 16 federal states. With the exception of Hamburg, Dermacentor reticulatus was also found in all federal states. The occurrence of the ixodid ticks Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes frontalis, Ixodes hexagonus and I. inopinatus were documented in at least 11 federal states each. The two mentioned argasid tick species were also documented in numerous federal states, the pigeon tick Argas reflexus in 11 and the bat tick Carios vespertilionis in seven federal states. The atlas of ticks in Germany and the underlying digital dataset in the supplement can be used to improve global tick maps or to study the effects of climate change and habitat alteration on the distribution of tick species.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal patterns of the emerging tick-borne pathogen Borrelia miyamotoi in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) in New York

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Keesing ◽  
D. J. McHenry ◽  
M. H. Hersh ◽  
R. S. Ostfeld
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Transovarial Transmission ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Borrelia Miyamotoi ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Reservoir Hosts

AbstractBorrelia miyamotoi, a bacterium that causes relapsing fever, is found in ixodid ticks throughout the northern hemisphere. The first cases of human infection with B. miyamotoi were identified in 2011. In the eastern USA, blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) become infected by feeding on an infected vertebrate host, or through transovarial transmission. We surveyed B. miyamotoi prevalence in ticks within forested habitats in Dutchess County, New York, and identified possible reservoir hosts. To assess spatial variation in infection, we collected questing nymphal ticks at > 150 sites. To assess temporal variation in infection, we collected questing nymphs for 8 years at a single study site. We collected questing larval ticks from nine plots to estimate the amount of transovarial transmission. To evaluate potential reservoir hosts, we captured 14 species of mammal and bird hosts naturally infested with larval blacklegged ticks and held these hosts in the laboratory until ticks fed to repletion and molted to nymphs. We determined infection for all ticks using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The overall infection prevalence of questing nymphal ticks across all sites was ~ 1%, but prevalence at individual sites was as high as 9.1%. We detected no significant increase in infection through time. Only 0.4% of questing larval ticks were infected. Ticks having fed as larvae from short-tailed shrews, red squirrels, and opossums tended to have higher infection prevalence than did ticks having fed on other hosts. Further studies of the role of hosts in transmission are warranted. The locally high prevalence of B. miyamotoi in the New York/New England landscape suggests the importance of vigilance by health practitioners and the public.

scholarly journals Global Distribution of Babesia Species in Questing Ticks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Published Literature

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
ThankGod E. Onyiche ◽  
Cristian Răileanu ◽  
Susanne Fischer ◽  
Cornelia Silaghi
Keyword(s):  
Tick Species ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Babesia Species ◽  
Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Questing Ticks ◽  
Veterinary Importance

Babesiosis caused by the Babesia species is a parasitic tick-borne disease. It threatens many mammalian species and is transmitted through infected ixodid ticks. To date, the global occurrence and distribution are poorly understood in questing ticks. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the distribution of the pathogen. A deep search for four electronic databases of the published literature investigating the prevalence of Babesia spp. in questing ticks was undertaken and obtained data analyzed. Our results indicate that in 104 eligible studies dating from 1985 to 2020, altogether 137,364 ticks were screened with 3069 positives with an estimated global pooled prevalence estimates (PPE) of 2.10%. In total, 19 different Babesia species of both human and veterinary importance were detected in 23 tick species, with Babesia microti and Ixodesricinus being the most widely reported Babesia and tick species, respectively. Regardless of species, adult ticks with 2.60% had the highest infection rates, while larvae had the least with 0.60%. Similarly, female ticks with 4.90% were infected compared to males with 3.80%. Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 2.80% had the highest prevalence among the molecular techniques employed. In conclusion, results obtained indicate that Babesia species are present in diverse questing tick species at a low prevalence, of which some are competent vectors.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document