A Francisella tularensis Chitinase Contributes to Bacterial Persistence and Replication in Two Major U.S. Tick Vectors.

ABSTRACT: Nearly 100 years after the first report of tick-borne tularemia, questions remain about the tick vector(s) that pose the greatest risk for transmitting Francisella tularensis (Ft), the causative agent of tularemia. Additionally, few studies have identified genes/proteins required for Ft to infect, persist, and replicate in ticks. To answer questions about vector competence and Ft transmission by ticks, we infected Dermacentor variabilis (Dv),Amblyomma americanum (Aa), and Haemaphysalis longicornis (Hl; invasive species from Asia) ticks with Ft, finding that although Aa ticks initially become infected with 1 order of magnitude higher Ft, Ft replicated more robustly in Dv ticks, and did not persist in Hl ticks. In transmission studies, both Dv and Aa ticks efficiently transmitted Ft to naïve

SUBMITTER: Tully BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7764610 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature