Identification of Host Bloodmeal Source in Ornithodoros turicata Duges (Ixodida: Argasidae) Using DNA-Based and Stable Isotope-Based Techniques.

ABSTRACT: The ecology and host feeding patterns of many soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) remain poorly understood. To address soft tick-host feeding associations, we fed Ornithodoros turicata Dugès on multiple host species and evaluated quantitative PCR (qPCR) and stable isotope analyses to identify the vertebrate species used for the bloodmeal. The results showed that a qPCR with host-specific probes for the cytochrome b gene successfully identified bloodmeals from chicken (Gallus gallus L.), goat (Capra aegagrus hircus L), and swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) beyond 330 days post-feeding and through multiple molting. Also, qPCR-based bloodmeal analyses could detect multiple host species within individual ticks that fed upon more than one species. The stable isotope b

SUBMITTER: Kim HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7925843 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature