Quantitative microbial population study reveals geographical differences in bacterial symbionts of Ixodes ricinus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ixodes ricinus ticks vector pathogens that cause serious health concerns. Like in other arthropods, the microbiome may affect the tick's biology, with consequences for pathogen transmission. Here, we explored the bacterial communities of I. ricinus across its developmental stages and six geographic locations by the 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, combined with quantification of the bacterial load.

Results

A wide range of bacterial loads was found. Accurate quantification of low microbial biomass samples permitted comparisons to high biomass samples, despite the presence of contaminating DNA. The bacterial communities of ticks were associated with geographical location rather than life stage, and differences in Rickettsia abundance determined this association. Subseq

SUBMITTER: Krawczyk AI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9351266 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature