Detection of a Rickettsia sp. and an Ehrlichia chaffeensis-like organism in ticks parasitizing the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus)

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2165-2171
Author(s):  
Erin L. Hewett Ragheb ◽  
Karl E. Miller ◽  
Katherine A. Sayler ◽  
Richard G. Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Causative Agent ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mediterranean Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Ehrlichia Chaffeensis ◽  
Grasshopper Sparrow ◽  
Ammodramus Savannarum ◽  
Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis

Between 2013 and 2015, 163 resident endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus) and four migratory Eastern Grasshopper Sparrows (A. savannarum pratensis) were examined for the presence of ticks in peninsular Florida. Thirteen Amblyomma maculatum and seven Haemaphysalis chordeilis ticks were removed from 13 Florida Grasshopper Sparrows. Two A. maculatum were discovered on two Eastern Grasshopper Sparrows. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of resultant amplicons of some of the tick specimens were performed to determine if ticks were infected with pathogenic bacteria. Salivary gland and midgut contents of five of six (83%) of the H. chordeilis tested positive for a novel Rickettsia closely related to, but distinct from, Rickettsia aeschlimannii (causative agent of Mediterranean spotted fever-like illness), an infectious zoonotic bacterium that has not been previously reported in the United States. Four of 14 (29%) of the A. maculatum tested positive for an agent most closely related to an uncultured Ehrlichia previously isolated from Oriental house rats (Rattus tanezumi; 97.5% identity to GenBank KM817187), which is genetically similar to Ehrlichia chaffeensis (causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis), another infectious zoonotic bacterium. Blood from 16 Florida Grasshopper Sparrows and one Eastern Grasshopper Sparrow tested negative for spotted fever group rickettsiae, Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. We recommend that additional collections and screening of ticks and blood from Florida Grasshopper Sparrows be undertaken to determine the rates of infection with rickettsiae and ehrlichiae in these imperiled songbirds.

scholarly journals The Causative Agent from a Patient with Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis in Japan on Awaji Island, Hyogo

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzuru KOBAYASHI ◽  
Yoshiki TANGE ◽  
Takanori OKADA ◽  
Kazuya KODAMA
Keyword(s):  
Causative Agent ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever Group

scholarly journals Isolation and Identification of Rickettsia massiliae from Rhipicephalus sanguineus Ticks Collected in Arizona

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 5569-5577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina E. Eremeeva ◽  
Elizabeth A. Bosserman ◽  
Linda J. Demma ◽  
Maria L. Zambrano ◽  
Dianna M. Blau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Isolation And Identification ◽  
Cytotoxic Effects ◽  
Rickettsia Massiliae ◽  
Genotypic Characteristics

ABSTRACT Twenty Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks collected in eastern Arizona were tested by PCR assay to establish their infection rate with spotted fever group rickettsiae. With a nested PCR assay which detects a fragment of the Rickettsia genus-specific 17-kDa antigen gene (htrA), five ticks (25%) were found to contain rickettsial DNA. One rickettsial isolate was obtained from these ticks by inoculating a suspension of a triturated tick into monolayers of Vero E6 monkey kidney cells and XTC-2 clawed toad cells, and its cell culture and genotypic characteristics were determined. Fragments of the 16S rRNA, GltA, rOmpA, rOmpB, and Sca4 genes had 100%, 100%, 99%, 99%, and 99%, respectively, nucleotide similarity to Rickettsia massiliae strain Bar29, previously isolated from R. sanguineus in Catalonia, Spain (L. Beati et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 34:2688-2694, 1996). The new isolate, AZT80, does not elicit cytotoxic effects in Vero cells and causes a persistent infection in XTC-2 cells. The AZT80 strain is susceptible to doxycycline but resistant to rifampin and erythromycin. Whether R. massiliae AZT80 is pathogenic or infectious for dogs and humans or can cause seroconversion to spotted fever group antigens in the United States is unknown.

scholarly journals Seroprevalence of spotted fever group rickettsiae in canines along the United States–Mexico border

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 918-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily G. Pieracci ◽  
Juan Diego Perez De La Rosa ◽  
Daniel Luna Rubio ◽  
Mario Eduardo Solis Perales ◽  
Manuel Velasco Contreras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae ◽  
United States Mexico Border ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
United States Mexico

Rickettsial Diseases

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Sun ◽  
Michael V. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever ◽  
The World ◽  
The Brain

Tick-borne rickettsioses are emerging as more important health problems throughout the world. The spotted fever group including Rickettsia rickettsia can cause encephalopathy, meningitis and brain damage by selectively targeting capillary endothelial cells in the brain, and stimulating inflammation, capillary leakage, hemorrhage, and intravascular coagulation. Rickettsia are are arthropod-borne gram-negative coccobacilli bacteria and are obligate intracellular organisms that do not survive in artificial medium. In North and South America, the most common rickettsial disorder is rocky mountain spotted fever (RMSF) transmitted by the dog tick Dermacentor variabilis or the wood tick Dermacentor andersoni. A characteristic “starry sky” pattern can be seen on MRI imaging of the brain in some patients with RMSF encephalopathy and is thought to reflect the organisms targeting of brain endothelial cells in capillaries the white matter. Early treatment with doxycycline is curative and reverses signs of encephalopathy if given within a few day of onset, but delayed treatment can be associated with permanent neurological disability. The typhus group of rickettsia bacteria include R. prowazekii, which causes epidemic typhus and R. typhi, which causes murine typhus (endemic) typhus in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. Flying squirrels and humans carry R prowazekii and rats are carry R. typhi. Q fever caused by the rickettsia organism Coxiella burnetti is transmitted from farm animals including sheep and is seen throughout the world including the United States.

scholarly journals Minimal Duration of Tick Attachment Sufficient for Transmission of Infectious Rickettsia rickettsii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) by Its Primary Vector Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae): Duration of Rickettsial Reactivation in the Vector Revisited

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L Levin ◽  
Shelby L Ford ◽  
Kris Hartzer ◽  
Lnna Krapiunaya ◽  
Hannah Stanley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Glands ◽  
Guinea Pigs ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Susceptible Host ◽  
Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽  
Tick Attachment

Abstract It has been reported that starving ticks do not transmit spotted fever group Rickettsia immediately upon attachment because pathogenic bacteria exist in a dormant, uninfectious state and require time for ‘reactivation’ before transmission to a susceptible host. To clarify the length of reactivation period, we exposed guinea pigs to bites of Rickettsia rickettsii-infected Dermacentor variabilis (Say) and allowed ticks to remain attached for predetermined time periods from 0 to 48 h. Following removal of attached ticks, salivary glands were immediately tested by PCR, while guinea pigs were observed for 10–12 d post-exposure. Guinea pigs in a control group were subcutaneously inoculated with salivary glands from unfed D. variabilis from the same cohort. In a parallel experiment, skin at the location of tick bite was also excised at the time of tick removal to ascertain dissemination of pathogen from the inoculation site. Animals in every exposure group developed clinical and pathological signs of infection. The severity of rickettsial infection in animals increased with the length of tick attachment, but even attachments for less than 8 h resulted in clinically identifiable infection in some guinea pigs. Guinea pigs inoculated with salivary glands from unfed ticks also became severely ill. Results of our study indicate that R. rickettsii residing in salivary glands of unfed questing ticks does not necessarily require a period of reactivation to precede the salivary transmission and ticks can transmit infectious Rickettsia virtually as soon as they attach to the host.

scholarly journals Nonselective Persistence of a Rickettsia conorii Extrachromosomal Plasmid during Mammalian Infection

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 790-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean P. Riley ◽  
Abigail I. Fish ◽  
Daniel A. Garza ◽  
Kaikhushroo H. Banajee ◽  
Emma K. Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Rickettsia Conorii ◽  
Mediterranean Spotted Fever ◽  
Extrachromosomal Dna ◽  
Content Type

Scientific analysis of the genusRickettsiais undergoing a rapid period of change with the emergence of viable genetic tools. The development of these tools for the mutagenesis of pathogenic bacteria will permit forward genetic analysis ofRickettsiapathogenesis. Despite these advances, uncertainty still remains regarding the use of plasmids to study these bacteria inin vivomammalian models of infection, namely, the potential for virulence changes associated with the presence of extrachromosomal DNA and nonselective persistence of plasmids in mammalian models of infection. Here, we describe the transformation ofRickettsia conoriiMalish 7 with the plasmid pRam18dRGA[AmTrCh]. TransformedR. conoriistably maintains this plasmid in infected cell cultures, expresses the encoded fluorescent proteins, and exhibits growth kinetics in cell culture similar to those of nontransformedR. conorii. Using a well-established murine model of fatal Mediterranean spotted fever, we demonstrate thatR. conorii(pRam18dRGA[AmTrCh]) elicits the same fatal outcomes in animals as its untransformed counterpart and, importantly, maintains the plasmid throughout infection in the absence of selective antibiotic pressure. Interestingly, plasmid-transformedR. conoriiwas readily observed both in endothelial cells and within circulating leukocytes. Together, our data demonstrate that the presence of an extrachromosomal DNA element in a pathogenic rickettsial species does not affect eitherin vitroproliferation orin vivoinfectivity in models of disease and that plasmids such as pRam18dRGA[AmTrCh] are valuable tools for the further genetic manipulation of pathogenic rickettsiae.

scholarly journals National Surveillance of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses in the United States, 2008–2012

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi A. Drexler ◽  
F. Scott Dahlgren ◽  
Robert F. Massung ◽  
Casey Barton Behravesh ◽  
Kristen Nichols Heitman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
National Surveillance

Comparison of an oligo-chip based assay with PCR method to measure the prevalence of tick-borne pathogenic bacteria in central Slovakia

Biologia ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Kocianová ◽  
Dušan Blaškovič ◽  
Katarína Smetanová ◽  
Katarína Schwarzová ◽  
Vojtech Boldiš ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Francisella Tularensis ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Close Correlation ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi Sensu Lato ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractTicks are well-known vectors for a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. We examined the presence of Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in central Slovakia using oligo-chip based assay. Rickettsiae were detected in 5.6% of examined ticks. Borreliae and anaplasmae were identified in 2.1% and 2.8% ticks, respectively. All tested samples were negative for presence of Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis. All these results were compared with those obtained by PCR analysis, and a close correlation between them was found. In addition, rickettsiae of spotted fever group (SFG), Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were found in ticks using genera or species-specific PCR methods. They are circulating in 10 out of 18 studied localities.

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