Established Population of the Gulf Coast Tick, <i>Amblyomma maculatum</i> (Acari: Ixodidae), Infected with <i>Rickettsia parkeri</i> (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), in Connecticut

Molaei, Goudarz; Little, Eliza A.H.; Khalil, Noelle; Ayres, Bryan N.; Nicholson, William L.; Paddock, Christopher D.

doi:10.1093/jme/tjaa299

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These results concur with findings of other studies along the US east coast where prevalence of R. parkeri in field collected A. maculatum ticks can be very high, ranging from 20% to 55.7% (Fornadel et al 2011, Varela-Stokes et al 2011, Nadolny et al 2014, Molaei et al 2021. They are, however, somewhat higher than the prevalence recorded from the two states closest to NYC, which recently detected A. maculatum populations: Delaware (21%) (Maestas et al 2020) and Connecticut (29.6%) (Molaei et al 2021). NYC and its surrounding areas (formally known as the New York-Newark Combined Statistical Area by the US Office of Management and Budget and comprising parts of NY, NJ, CT, and PA) is the most populous region in the US with 23.5 million residents as of the 2020 census (U.S. Census Bureau 2021).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…We detected Rickettsia parkeri, a tick-borne human pathogen, in 50% of adult A. maculatum ticks collected from Freshkills Park, Staten Island (NYC). These results concur with findings of other studies along the US east coast where prevalence of R. parkeri in field collected A. maculatum ticks can be very high, ranging from 20% to 55.7% (Fornadel et al 2011, Varela-Stokes et al 2011, Nadolny et al 2014, Molaei et al 2021. They are, however, somewhat higher than the prevalence recorded from the two states closest to NYC, which recently detected A. maculatum populations: Delaware (21%) (Maestas et al 2020) and Connecticut (29.6%) (Molaei et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…While A. maculatum was originally limited to the southeastern United States (Teel et al 2010), it had been documented in Delaware in 2013 (Florin et al 2014) where it was recently found established statewide (Maestas et al 2020). There have also been recent detections of established populations in coastal Connecticut (Molaei et al 2021) and in Illinois (Phillips et al 2020). Migratory songbirds (passerines) have been implicated in the dispersal of immature (larvae and nymphs) A. maculatum during migration (Scott and Durden 2015) and it is thought that this association may be an important driver of its northward expansion Goddard 2015, Nadolny andGaff 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and spotted fever group Rickettsia in the highly urbanized northeastern US

Bajwa

Tsynman

Egizi

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We report the multi-year collection of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch (Acaridae: Ixodida: Ixodidae) in Staten Island, New York City (NYC) as well as their detection in Brooklyn, NYC, and in Atlantic and Cumberland counties in southern NJ, USA. The first detections on all sites were of adults but in Freshkills Park on Staten Island larvae were collected in a following year. Based on known observations on birds of this tick species, it is likely A. maculatum are expanding north on migratory birds, which are now often seen in Freshkills Park. The presence of larvae indicates that adults are being successful at finding hosts in Staten Island. We describe the landscape features of the area in Staten Island where populations were highest and larvae were detected, which could have facilitated the establishment of A. maculatum. Notably, we also report the presence of human pathogens Rickettsia parkeri in 5/10 (50%) of adults tested and R. felis in 1/24 (4.17%) of larvae tested. In addition to established populations in Staten Island we found evidence of A. maculatum in NJ and other NYC boroughs, suggesting current or future establishment is possible. The failure thus far to detect established populations in these areas may be due to inherent difficulties in detecting low density, spatially heterogeneous incipient populations, which could require targeted surveillance efforts for this species. We discuss the consequences to public health of the establishment of A. maculatum and detection of two additional rickettsial pathogens in the densely populated Northeastern US.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and spotted fever group Rickettsia in the highly urbanized northeastern US

Bajwa

Tsynman

Egizi

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Since the initial description of A. maculatum in 1844, its known range has expanded significantly, from that of a coastal tick with limited range of 100 to 200 miles inland in the Gulf Coast region to now being established in many central U.S. states, such as Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois ( 10 , 50 ). Recent studies have confirmed the northern expansion of A. maculatum s. s. and R. parkeri s. s. into Connecticut ( 51 ), representing the northernmost established populations of both tick and pathogen. This report by Molaei et al highlights the continual expansion of A. maculatum s. s. into additional regions within North America and suggests an emerging public health risk for R. parkeri rickettsiosis in these areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Phylogenetic Differentiation of Rickettsia parkeri Reveals Broad Dispersal and Distinct Clustering within North American Strains

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, R. amblyommatis, originally considered an endosymbiont of A. americanum and highly prevalent in this tick, has been linked to mild disease (64)(65)(66), so it may also be contributing. The main vector of R. parkeri, the Gulf Coast tick A. maculatum, is also expanding its distribution (67), and populations are increasingly being found in more northerly US states (68,69). The distribution of I. scapularis overlaps in large parts of the country with those of tick species responsible for the transmission of pathogenic SFG Rickettsia spp., particularly A. americanum and Dermacentor variabilis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ixodes scapularis Symbiont Rickettsia buchneri Inhibits Growth of Pathogenic Rickettsiaceae in Tick Cells: Implications for Vector Competence

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of tick-borne pathogens in North America but notably does not transmit pathogenic Rickettsia species. This tick harbors the transovarially transmitted endosymbiont Rickettsia buchneri, which is widespread in I. scapularis populations, suggesting that it confers a selective advantage for tick survival such as providing essential nutrients. The R. buchneri genome includes genes with similarity to those involved in antibiotic synthesis. There are two gene clusters not found in other Rickettsiaceae, raising the possibility that these may be involved in excluding pathogenic bacteria from the tick. This study explored whether the R. buchneri antibiotic genes might exert antibiotic effects on pathogens associated with I. scapularis. Markedly reduced infectivity and replication of the tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum, R. monacensis, and R. parkeri were observed in IRE11 tick cells hosting R. buchneri. Using a fluorescent plate reader assay to follow infection dynamics revealed that the presence of R. buchneri in tick cells, even at low infection rates, inhibited the growth of R. parkeri by 86–100% relative to R. buchneri-free cells. In contrast, presence of the low-pathogenic species R. amblyommatis or the endosymbiont R. peacockii only partially reduced the infection and replication of R. parkeri. Addition of host-cell free R. buchneri, cell lysate of R. buchneri-infected IRE11, or supernatant from R. buchneri-infected IRE11 cultures had no effect on R. parkeri infection and replication in IRE11, nor did these treatments show any antibiotic effect against non-obligate intracellular bacteria E. coli and S. aureus. However, lysate from R. buchneri-infected IRE11 challenged with R. parkeri showed some inhibitory effect on R. parkeri infection of treated IRE11, suggesting that challenge by pathogenic rickettsiae may induce the antibiotic effect of R. buchneri. This research suggests a potential role of the endosymbiont in preventing other rickettsiae from colonizing I. scapularis and/or being transmitted transovarially. The confirmation that the observed inhibition is linked to R. buchneri's antibiotic clusters requires further investigation but could have important implications for our understanding of rickettsial competition and vector competence of I. scapularis for rickettsiae.

show abstract

Established Population of the Gulf Coast Tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae), Infected with Rickettsia parkeri (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), in Connecticut

Cited by 23 publications

References 17 publications

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and spotted fever group Rickettsia in the highly urbanized northeastern US

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and spotted fever group Rickettsia in the highly urbanized northeastern US

Phylogenetic Differentiation of Rickettsia parkeri Reveals Broad Dispersal and Distinct Clustering within North American Strains

The Ixodes scapularis Symbiont Rickettsia buchneri Inhibits Growth of Pathogenic Rickettsiaceae in Tick Cells: Implications for Vector Competence

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About