Cross-kingdom analysis of nymphal-stage Ixodes scapularis microbial communities in relation to Borrelia burgdorferi infection and load.

ABSTRACT: The tick microbiota may influence the colonization of Ixodes scapularis by Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease bacterium. Using conserved and pathogen-specific primers we performed a cross-kingdom analysis of bacterial, fungal, protistan and archaeal communities of I. scapularis nymphs (N = 105) collected from southern Vermont, USA. The bacterial community was dominated by a Rickettsia and several environmental taxa commonly reported in I. scapularis, as well as the human pathogens B. burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis. With the fungal primer set we detected primarily plant- and litter-associated taxa and >18% of sequences were Malassezia, a fungal genus associated with mammalian skin. Two 18S rRNA gene primer sets, intended to target pro

SUBMITTER: Landesman WJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6859517 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature