Identifying sources of tick blood meals using unidentified tandem mass spectral libraries

ABSTRACT: Rapid and reliable identification of the vertebrate species on which a disease vector previously parasitized is imperative to study ecological factors that affect pathogen distribution and can aid the development of public health programs. We here describe a proteome profiling technique designed to identify the source of blood meals of hematophagous arthropods. This method employs direct spectral matching and thus does not require a priori knowledge of any genetic or protein sequence information. Using this technology, we can detect remnants of blood in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and correctly determine the vertebrate species from which the blood was derived even six months after the tick had fed. This biological fingerprinting methodology is sensitive, fast, cost-effective, and can potentially be adapted for other biological and medical applications when existing genome-based methods are impractical or ineffective.

INSTRUMENT(S):

ORGANISM(S): Eryx Colubrinus Loveridgei Ixodes Scapularis (black-legged Tick) (deer Tick) Tamias Striatus (eastern Chipmunk) Rousettus Aegyptiacus (egyptian Rousette) (egyptian Fruit Bat) Sturnus Vulgaris (starling) Strix Varia (barred Owl) Malaclemys Terrapin (diamondback Terrapin) (testudo Terrapin) Pteropus Rodricensis (rodriguez Flying Fox) Sciurus Carolinensis (gray Squirrel) Panthera Leo (lion) Ovis Aries Corucia Zebrata Macropus Rufus (red Kangaroo) (megaleia Rufa) Alligator Mississippiensis (american Alligator) Colobus Guereza (mantled Guereza) (eastern Black-and-white Colobus Monkey) Chelodina Longicollis (snake-necked Turtle) (testudo Longicollis) Rhynchocyon Petersi (black And Rufous Elephant Shrew) Panthera Tigris (tiger) Nanger Dama Mhorr Equus Asinus Africanus Tremarctos Ornatus (spectacled Bear) Pituophis Melanoleucus (pine Snake) (coluber Melanoleucus) Peromyscus Leucopus (white-footed Mouse) Anas Platyrhynchos Capra Hircus (goat) Mus Musculus (mouse)

SUBMITTER: Wenguang Shao  

LAB HEAD: Wenguang Shao

PROVIDER: PXD000170 | Pride | 2014-04-03

REPOSITORIES: Pride