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Bacterial Communities of Ixodes scapularis from Central Pennsylvania, USA.

ABSTRACT: Native microbiota represent a potential resource for biocontrol of arthropod vectors. Ixodes scapularis is mostly inhabited by the endosymbiotic Rickettsiabuchneri, but the composition of bacterial communities varies with life stage, fed status, and/or geographic location. We compared bacterial community diversity among I. scapularis populations sampled within a small geographic range in Central Pennsylvania. We collected and extracted DNA from ticks and sequenced amplicons of the eubacterial 16S rRNA gene from individuals and pooled samples. We then used taxon-specific PCR and/or qPCR to confirm the abundance or infection frequency of select pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria. Bacterial communities were more diverse in pools of males than females and the most abundant taxon was Rickettsia buchneri followed by Coxiellaceae (confirmed by sequencing as an unknown Rickettsiella species). High Rickettsiella titers in pools were likely due to a few heavily infected males. We determined that the infection frequency of Borrelia burgdorferi ranged from 20 to 75%. Titers of Anaplasmaphagocytophilum were significantly different between sexes. Amplicon-based bacterial 16S sequencing is a powerful tool for establishing the baseline community diversity and focusing hypotheses for targeted experiments, but care should be taken not to overinterpret data based on too few individuals. We identified intracellular bacterial candidates that may be useful as targets for manipulation.

SUBMITTER: Sakamoto JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7593946 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Bacterial Communities of Ixodes scapularis from Central Pennsylvania, USA.

Sakamoto Joyce Megumi JM Silva Diaz Gabriel Enrique GE Wagner Elizabeth Anne EA

Insects 20201020 10

Native microbiota represent a potential resource for biocontrol of arthropod vectors. Ixodes scapularis is mostly inhabited by the endosymbiotic Rickettsia buchneri, but the composition of bacterial communities varies with life stage, fed status, and/or geographic location. We compared bacterial community diversity among I. scapularis populations sampled within a small geographic range in Central Pennsylvania. We collected and extracted DNA from ticks and sequenced am ...[more]

PMID: 33092135

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Project description:BackgroundThe blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the primary vector of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in North America. Though the tick is found across the eastern United States, Lyme disease is endemic to the northeast and upper midwest and rare or absent in the southern portion of the vector's range. In an effort to better understand the tick microbiome from diverse geographic and climatic regions, we analysed the bacterial community of 115 I. scapularis adults collected from vegetation in Texas and Massachusetts, representing extreme ends of the vector's range, by massively parallel sequencing of the 16S V4 rRNA gene. In addition, 7 female I. scapularis collected from dogs in Texas were included in the study.ResultsMale I. scapularis ticks had a more diverse bacterial microbiome in comparison to the female ticks. Rickettsia spp. dominated the microbiomes of field-collected female I. scapularis from both regions, as well as half of the males from Texas. In addition, the male and female ticks captured from Massachusetts contained high proportions of the pathogens Anaplasma and Borrelia, as well as the arthropod endosymbiont Wolbachia. None of these were found in libraries generated from ticks collected in Texas. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Mycobacterium were significantly differently abundant (p < 0.05) between the male ticks from Massachusetts and Texas. Anaplasma and Borrelia were found in 15 and 63% of the 62 Massachusetts ticks, respectively, with a co-infection rate of 11%. Female ticks collected from Texas dogs were particularly diverse, and contained several genera including Rickettsia, Pseudomonas, Bradyrhizobium, Sediminibacterium, and Ralstonia.ConclusionsOur results indicate that the bacterial microbiomes of I. scapularis ticks vary by sex and geography, with significantly more diversity in male microbiomes compared to females. We found that sex plays a larger role than geography in shaping the composition/diversity of the I. scapularis microbiome, but that geography affects what additional taxa are represented (beyond Rickettsia) and whether pathogens are found. Furthermore, recent feeding may have a role in shaping the tick microbiome, as evident from a more complex bacterial community in female ticks from dogs compared to the wild-caught questing females. These findings may provide further insight into the differences in the ability of the ticks to acquire, maintain and transmit pathogens. Future studies on possible causes and consequences of these differences will shed additional light on tick microbiome biology and vector competence.

Dataset Information

Bacterial Communities of Ixodes scapularis from Central Pennsylvania, USA.

Publications

Bacterial Communities of <i>Ixodes scapularis</i> from Central Pennsylvania, USA.

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