Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Infection and Transmission Dynamics in Amblyomma maculatum.

ABSTRACT: Tick vectors are capable of transmitting several rickettsial species to vertebrate hosts, resulting in various levels of disease. Studies have demonstrated the transmissibility of both rickettsial pathogens and novel Rickettsia species or strains with unknown pathogenicity to vertebrate hosts during tick blood meal acquisition; however, the quantitative nature of transmission remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that if infection severity is a function of the rickettsial load delivered during tick transmission, then a more virulent spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species is transmitted at higher levels during tick feeding. Using Amblyomma maculatum cohorts infected with Rickettsia parkeri or "Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae," a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was employed to quantif

SUBMITTER: Suwanbongkot C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6434108 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature