A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida
Within the past three decades, new bacterial etiological agents of tick-borne disease have been discovered in the southeastern U.S., and the number of reported tick-borne pathogen infections has increased. In Florida, few systematic studies have been conducted to determine the presence of tick-borne...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/9/297 |
| _version_ | 1819040169058107392 |
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| author | Carrie E. De Jesus Claudia Ganser William H. Kessler Zoe S. White Chanakya R. Bhosale Gregory E. Glass Samantha M. Wisely |
| author_facet | Carrie E. De Jesus Claudia Ganser William H. Kessler Zoe S. White Chanakya R. Bhosale Gregory E. Glass Samantha M. Wisely |
| author_sort | Carrie E. De Jesus |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Within the past three decades, new bacterial etiological agents of tick-borne disease have been discovered in the southeastern U.S., and the number of reported tick-borne pathogen infections has increased. In Florida, few systematic studies have been conducted to determine the presence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens. This investigation examined the distribution and presence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens in Florida. Ticks were collected by flagging at 41 field sites, spanning the climatic regions of mainland Florida. DNA was extracted individually from 1608 ticks and screened for <i>Anaplasma</i>, <i>Borrelia</i>, <i>Ehrlichia</i> and <i>Rickettsia</i> using conventional PCR and primers that amplified multiple species for each genus. PCR positive samples were Sanger sequenced. Four species of ticks were collected: <i>Amblyomma americanum</i>, <i>Amblyomma maculatum</i>, <i>Dermacentor variabilis,</i> and <i>Ixodes scapularis</i>. Within these ticks, six bacterial species were identified: <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>, <i>Borrelia lonestari</i>, <i>Ehrlichia ewingii</i>, <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>amblyommatis</i>, <i>Rickettsia andeanae</i>, <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>parkeri</i>, and <i>Rickettsia</i> endosymbionts. Pathogenic <i>Borrelia</i>, <i>Ehrlichia</i>, and <i>Rickettsia</i> species were all detected in the North and North-Central Florida counties; however, we found only moderate concordance between the distribution of ticks infected with pathogenic bacteria and human cases of tick-borne diseases in Florida. Given the diversity and numerous bacterial species detected in ticks in Florida, further investigations should be conducted to identify regional hotspots of tick-borne pathogens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T09:04:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45d095a091f14353acb6ba1a4ccd7fe9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T09:04:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-45d095a091f14353acb6ba1a4ccd7fe92022-12-21T19:09:23ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502019-09-0110929710.3390/insects10090297insects10090297A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in FloridaCarrie E. De Jesus0Claudia Ganser1William H. Kessler2Zoe S. White3Chanakya R. Bhosale4Gregory E. Glass5Samantha M. Wisely6Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAWithin the past three decades, new bacterial etiological agents of tick-borne disease have been discovered in the southeastern U.S., and the number of reported tick-borne pathogen infections has increased. In Florida, few systematic studies have been conducted to determine the presence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens. This investigation examined the distribution and presence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens in Florida. Ticks were collected by flagging at 41 field sites, spanning the climatic regions of mainland Florida. DNA was extracted individually from 1608 ticks and screened for <i>Anaplasma</i>, <i>Borrelia</i>, <i>Ehrlichia</i> and <i>Rickettsia</i> using conventional PCR and primers that amplified multiple species for each genus. PCR positive samples were Sanger sequenced. Four species of ticks were collected: <i>Amblyomma americanum</i>, <i>Amblyomma maculatum</i>, <i>Dermacentor variabilis,</i> and <i>Ixodes scapularis</i>. Within these ticks, six bacterial species were identified: <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>, <i>Borrelia lonestari</i>, <i>Ehrlichia ewingii</i>, <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>amblyommatis</i>, <i>Rickettsia andeanae</i>, <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>parkeri</i>, and <i>Rickettsia</i> endosymbionts. Pathogenic <i>Borrelia</i>, <i>Ehrlichia</i>, and <i>Rickettsia</i> species were all detected in the North and North-Central Florida counties; however, we found only moderate concordance between the distribution of ticks infected with pathogenic bacteria and human cases of tick-borne diseases in Florida. Given the diversity and numerous bacterial species detected in ticks in Florida, further investigations should be conducted to identify regional hotspots of tick-borne pathogens.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/9/297tick-borne diseaseFloridasurveillance<i>Rickettsia</i><i>Borrelia</i><i>Ehrlichia</i><i>Amblyomma americanum</i> |
| spellingShingle | Carrie E. De Jesus Claudia Ganser William H. Kessler Zoe S. White Chanakya R. Bhosale Gregory E. Glass Samantha M. Wisely A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida Insects tick-borne disease Florida surveillance <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>Borrelia</i> <i>Ehrlichia</i> <i>Amblyomma americanum</i> |
| title | A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida |
| title_full | A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida |
| title_fullStr | A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida |
| title_short | A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida |
| title_sort | survey of tick borne bacterial pathogens in florida |
| topic | tick-borne disease Florida surveillance <i>Rickettsia</i> <i>Borrelia</i> <i>Ehrlichia</i> <i>Amblyomma americanum</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/9/297 |
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