Geographic distribution and genetic diversity of the Ehrlichia sp. from Panola Mountain in Amblyomma americanum

Loftis, Amanda D.; Mixson, Tonya R.; Stromdahl, Ellen Y.; Yabsley, Michael J.; Garrison, Laurel E.; Williamson, Phillip; Fitak, Robert R.; Fuerst, Paul A.; Kelly, Daryl J.; Blount, Keith

doi:10.1186/1471-2334-8-54

Cited by 46 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Panola Mountain to be quite rare (0.6% in Ohio). This result is similar to that reported across the range of A. americanum, but substantially lower than that reported previously from 22 Ohio ticks (27%, Loftis et al, 2008). The much lower prevalence of Ehrlichia sp.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Despite the spread of A. americanum into Ohio, little is known regarding the prevalence of potential disease-causing organisms transmitted by this tick in Ohio and the threats posed to humans. To date, the most extensive studies of A. americanum either did not include Ohio (Mixson et al, 2006;Apperson et al, 2008;Stromdahl et al, 2008;Jiang et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2010) or examined ≤22 ticks from Ohio (Kelly et al, 2005;Loftis et al, 2008). To address these concerns, we assessed the prevalence of ehrlichial and rickettsial species in A. americanum collected primarily from Ohio and other nearby states over an 11-year period (2000-2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The prevalence of rickettsial and ehrlichial organisms in Amblyomma americanum ticks collected from Ohio and surrounding areas between 2000 and 2010

Fitak

Kelly

Daniels

et al. 2014

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of rickettsial and ehrlichial organisms in Amblyomma americanum ticks collected from Ohio and surrounding areas between 2000 and 2010

Fitak

Kelly

Daniels

et al. 2014

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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“…Number of ticks tested in parentheses; no statistically significant differences between sites were observed (all >0.15). sequence DQ363995 deposited in GenBank by Loftis et al (2008). We have since submitted our groEL PME sequence to GenBank (Accession No.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular identification of Ehrlichia species and host bloodmeal source in Amblyomma americanum L. from two locations in Tennessee, United States

Harmon

Scott

Baker

et al. 2015

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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“…Samples with a fluorescence level exceeding the threshold before cycle 40 were considered as positive. In addition to the multiplex, ticks were tested by previously described nested PCR assays for B. lonestari (Barbour et al 1996) and PME (Loftis et al 2008). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Bacterial Agents inAmblyomma americanum(Acari: Ixodidae) From Georgia, USA, and the Use of a Multiplex Assay to DifferentiateEhrlichia chaffeensisandEhrlichia ewingii

et al. 2014

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Amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick, is the most common and most aggressive human biting tick in the Southeastern United States. It is known to transmit the agents of human ehrlichioses, Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii. In addition, it carries agents of unspecified pathogenicity to humans, including Rickettsia amblyommii, Borrelia lonestari, and the newly emerging Panola Mountain Ehrlichia (PME). Surveillance of these ticks for recognized or emerging pathogens is necessary for assessing the risk of human infection. From 2005 to 2009, we surveyed A. americanum ticks from four locations in the state of Georgia. Ticks (1,183 adults, 2,954 nymphs, and 99 larval batches) were tested using a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay designed to detect and discriminate DNA from Rickettsia spp., E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii. This assay was capable of detecting as few as 10 gene copies of the aforementioned agents. Ticks were also tested for PME and B. lonestari by nested PCR. The prevalence of infection ranged from 0 to 2.5% for E. chaffeensis, 0 to 3.9% for E. ewingii, 0 to 2.2% for PME, 17 to 83.1% for R. amblyommii, and 0 to 3.1% for B. lonestari. There were 46 (4.1%) individual adults positive for two agents, and two females that were each positive for three agents. Two larval batches were positive for both B. lonestari and R. amblyommii, indicating the potential for transovarial transmission of both agents from a single female. Although infrequent in occurrence, the dynamics of coinfections in individual ticks should be explored further, given the potential implications for differential diagnosis and severity of human illness.

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Geographic distribution and genetic diversity of the Ehrlichia sp. from Panola Mountain in Amblyomma americanum

Abstract: Background: A novel Ehrlichia, closely related to Ehrlichia ruminantium, was recently discovered from Panola Mountain State Park, GA, USA. We conducted a study to determine if this agent was recently introduced into the United States.

Cited by 46 publications

References 15 publications

The prevalence of rickettsial and ehrlichial organisms in Amblyomma americanum ticks collected from Ohio and surrounding areas between 2000 and 2010

The prevalence of rickettsial and ehrlichial organisms in Amblyomma americanum ticks collected from Ohio and surrounding areas between 2000 and 2010

Molecular identification of Ehrlichia species and host bloodmeal source in Amblyomma americanum L. from two locations in Tennessee, United States

Detection of Bacterial Agents inAmblyomma americanum(Acari: Ixodidae) From Georgia, USA, and the Use of a Multiplex Assay to DifferentiateEhrlichia chaffeensisandEhrlichia ewingii

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