Comparative microbiomes of ticks collected from a black rhino and its surrounding environment.

ABSTRACT: 'Eliska,' an endangered black rhino (Diceros bicornis), died suddenly in Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania in 2016. Three Amblyomma gemma ticks were collected from Eliska's body, and four ticks were collected from the surrounding field. We conducted 16S rRNA targeted high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the overall composition of bacteria in the ticks' microbiomes and investigate whether the ticks could be the cause of Eliska's death. The ticks collected from Eliska's body and the field were found to differ in their bacterial composition. Bacillus chungangensis and B. pumilus were the most commonly found bacteria in the ticks collected from the field, and B. cereus and Lysinibacillus sphaericus were the most commonly found in the ticks collected

SUBMITTER: Lee S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6556756 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature