scholarly journals The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and spotted fever group Rickettsia in the highly urbanized northeastern US

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waheed I. Bajwa ◽  
Leonid Tsynman ◽  
Andrea M Egizi ◽  
Rafal Tokarz ◽  
Lauren P. Maestas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Rickettsia Parkeri ◽  
Staten Island ◽  
Gulf Coast Tick

We report the multi-year collection of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch (Acaridae: Ixodida: Ixodidae) in Staten Island, New York City (NYC) as well as their detection in Brooklyn, NYC, and in Atlantic and Cumberland counties in southern NJ, USA. The first detections on all sites were of adults but in Freshkills Park on Staten Island larvae were collected in a following year. Based on known observations on birds of this tick species, it is likely A. maculatum are expanding north on migratory birds, which are now often seen in Freshkills Park. The presence of larvae indicates that adults are being successful at finding hosts in Staten Island. We describe the landscape features of the area in Staten Island where populations were highest and larvae were detected, which could have facilitated the establishment of A. maculatum. Notably, we also report the presence of human pathogens Rickettsia parkeri in 5/10 (50%) of adults tested and R. felis in 1/24 (4.17%) of larvae tested. In addition to established populations in Staten Island we found evidence of A. maculatum in NJ and other NYC boroughs, suggesting current or future establishment is possible. The failure thus far to detect established populations in these areas may be due to inherent difficulties in detecting low density, spatially heterogeneous incipient populations, which could require targeted surveillance efforts for this species. We discuss the consequences to public health of the establishment of A. maculatum and detection of two additional rickettsial pathogens in the densely populated Northeastern US.

scholarly journals Isolation of Rickettsia parkeri and Identification of a Novel Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia sp. from Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) in the United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 2689-2696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Paddock ◽  
Pierre-Edouard Fournier ◽  
John W. Sumner ◽  
Jerome Goddard ◽  
Yasmin Elshenawy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Rickettsia Parkeri ◽  
Gulf Coast Ticks ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

ABSTRACT Until recently, Amblyomma maculatum (the Gulf Coast tick) had garnered little attention compared to other species of human-biting ticks in the United States. A. maculatum is now recognized as the principal vector of Rickettsia parkeri, a pathogenic spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) that causes an eschar-associated illness in humans that resembles Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A novel SFGR, distinct from other recognized Rickettsia spp., has also been detected recently in A. maculatum specimens collected in several regions of the southeastern United States. In this study, 198 questing adult Gulf Coast ticks were collected at 4 locations in Florida and Mississippi; 28% of these ticks were infected with R. parkeri, and 2% of these were infected with a novel SFGR. Seventeen isolates of R. parkeri from individual specimens of A. maculatum were cultivated in Vero E6 cells; however, all attempts to isolate the novel SFGR were unsuccessful. Partial genetic characterization of the novel SFGR revealed identity with several recently described, incompletely characterized, and noncultivated SFGR, including “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae” and Rickettsia sp. Argentina detected in several species of Neotropical ticks from Argentina and Peru. These findings suggest that each of these “novel” rickettsiae represent the same species. This study considerably expanded the number of low-passage, A. maculatum-derived isolates of R. parkeri and characterized a second, sympatric Rickettsia sp. found in Gulf Coast ticks.

Documentation of the Expansion of the Gulf Coast Tick ( Amblyomma maculatum) and Rickettsia parkeri : First Report in Illinois

2020 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria C. Phillips ◽  
Elliott A. Zieman ◽  
Chang-Hyun Kim ◽  
Chris M. Stone ◽  
Holly C. Tuten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Rickettsia Parkeri ◽  
First Report ◽  
Gulf Coast Tick

Experimental vertical transmission of Rickettsia parkeri in the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Wright ◽  
Holly D. Gaff ◽  
Daniel E. Sonenshine ◽  
Wayne L. Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Transmission ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Rickettsia Parkeri ◽  
Gulf Coast Tick

Established Population of the Gulf Coast Tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae), Infected with Rickettsia parkeri (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), in Connecticut

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goudarz Molaei ◽  
Eliza A H Little ◽  
Noelle Khalil ◽  
Bryan N Ayres ◽  
William L Nicholson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Rickettsia Parkeri ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Geographic Expansion ◽  
Gulf Coast Tick ◽  
Tick Vectors ◽  
Established Population

Abstract We identified an established population of the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum Koch) infected with Rickettsia parkeri in Connecticut, representing the northernmost range limit of this medically relevant tick species. Our finding highlights the importance of tick surveillance and public health challenges posed by geographic expansion of tick vectors and their pathogens.

Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum) Populations and Responses to Burning of Coastal Prairie Habitats

1988 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Scifres ◽  
Thomas W. Oldham ◽  
Pete D. Teel ◽  
D. Lynn Drawe
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Coastal Prairie ◽  
Gulf Coast Tick

scholarly journals Rickettsia spp. in rodent-attached ticks and first evidence of Spotted fever Group Rickettsia species Candidatus Rickettsia uralica in Europe.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vikentjeva ◽  
Julia Geller ◽  
Jaanus Remm ◽  
Irina Golovljova
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Ixodes Persulcatus ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Rickettsia Species ◽  
Questing Ticks ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia

Abstract BACKGROUND Rickettsia spp. are human pathogens that cause a number of diseases and are transmitted by arthropods, including ixodid ticks. Estonia contributes a region, where the distribution area of two exophilic tick species of known medical importance, Ixodes persulcatus and I. ricinus, overlap. The presence of the nidicolous rodent-associated I. trianguliceps has recently been shown for Estonia. Although there is no Estonian data available on human disease caused by tick-borne Rickettsia spp., the presence of three Rickettsia species in non-nidicolous ticks, albiet at very dissimilar rates, was also previously reported. The aim of this studywas to screen, identify and characterize Rickettsia species in nidicolous and non-nidicolous ticks attached to rodents. RESULTS Nymphs and larvae of I. ricinus ( n = 1004), I . persulcatus ( n = 75) and I. trianguliceps ( n = 117) attached to rodents and shrews caught in different parts of Estonia were studied for the presence of Rickettsia spp. by nested PCR. Ticks were removed from 314 small animals of 5 species (bank voles Myodes glareolus , yellow necked mice Apodemus flavicollis , striped field mice A. agrarius, pine voles M. subterranius and common shrews S. araneus) . Rickettsial DNA was detected in 8,7% (103/1186) studied ticks. In addition to R. helvetica, previously found in questing ticks, this study reports the first identification of the recently described I. trianguliceps- associated Candidatus R. uralica in west of the Ural.

scholarly journals A streamlined method for transposon mutagenesis ofRickettsia parkeriyields numerous mutations that impact infection

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Lamason ◽  
Natasha M. Kafai ◽  
Matthew D. Welch
Keyword(s):  
Host Cell ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Vascular Endothelial Cells ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Transposon Mutagenesis ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Rickettsia Parkeri ◽  
Obligate Intracellular

AbstractThe rickettsiae are obligate intracellular alphaproteobacteria that exhibit a complex infectious life cycle in both arthropod and mammalian hosts. As obligate intracellular bacteria,Rickettsiaare highly adapted to living inside a variety of host cells, including vascular endothelial cells during mammalian infection. Although it is assumed that the rickettsiae produce numerous virulence factors that usurp or disrupt various host cell pathways, they have been challenging to genetically manipulate to identify the key bacterial factors that contribute to infection. Motivated to overcome this challenge, we sought to expand the repertoire of available rickettsial loss-of-function mutants, using an improvedmariner-based transposon mutagenesis scheme. Here, we present the isolation of over 100 transposon mutants in the spotted fever group speciesRickettsia parkeri. These mutants targeted genes implicated in a variety of pathways, including bacterial replication and metabolism, hypothetical proteins, the type IV secretion system, as well as factors with previously established roles in host cell interactions and pathogenesis. Given the need to identify critical virulence factors, forward genetic screens such as this will provide an excellent platform to more directly investigate rickettsial biology and pathogenesis.

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