The characterization and manipulation of the bacterial microbiome of the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In North America, ticks are the most economically impactful vectors of human and animal pathogens. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae), transmits Rickettsia rickettsii and Anaplasma marginale to humans and cattle, respectively. In recent years, studies have shown that symbiotic organisms are involved in a number of biochemical and physiological functions. Characterizing the bacterial microbiome of D. andersoni is a pivotal step towards understanding symbiont-host interactions.

Findings

In this study, we have shown by high-throughput sequence analysis that the composition of endosymbionts in the midgut and salivary glands in adult ticks is dynamic over three generations. Four Proteobacteria genera, Rickettsia, Francisella, Arsenoph

SUBMITTER: Clayton KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4674957 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature