A snapshot of the microbiome of Amblyomma tuberculatum ticks infesting the gopher tortoise, an endangered species.

ABSTRACT: The gopher tortoise tick, Amblyomma tuberculatum, has a unique relationship with the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, found in sandy habitats across the southeastern United States. We aimed to understand the overall bacterial community associated with A. tuberculatum while also focusing on spotted fever group Rickettsia. These tortoises in the Southern Mississippi region are a federally threatened species; therefore, we have carefully trapped the tortoises and removed the species-specific ticks attached to them. Genomic DNA was extracted from individual ticks and used to explore overall bacterial load using pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA on 454-sequencing platform. The spotted fever group of Rickettsia was explored by amplifying rickettsial outer membrane protein A (rompA) gene

SUBMITTER: Budachetri K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5048529 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature