Carios kelleyi (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) Infected With Rickettsial Agents Documented Infesting Housing in Kansas, United States

Abstract

During September–December 2018, 25 live ticks were collected on-post at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in a home with a history of bat occupancy. Nine ticks were sent to the Army Public Health Center Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory and were identified as Carios kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls, 1941), a species that seldom bites humans but that may search for other sources of blood meals, including humans, when bats are removed from human dwellings. The ticks were tested for numerous agents of human disease. Rickettsia lusitaniae was identified by multilocus sequence typing to be present in two ticks, marking the first detection of this Rickettsia agent in the United States and in this species of tick. Two other Rickettsia spp. were also detected, including an endosymbiont previously associated with C. kelleyi and a possible novel Rickettsia species. The potential roles of C. kelleyi and bats in peridomestic Rickettsia transmission cycles warrant further investigation.

Borreliae Part 2: Borrelia Relapsing Fever Group and Unclassified Borrelia

“…The name B. johnsonii was given in honor of Dr. Russell C. Johnson [57]. Bats, tick-borne illness to be defined [56,67,68] Geographical Distribution STBRF is endemic in the western United States, predominately in mountain regions, in 12 US states, namely Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Most RF cases in the US are caused by Borrelia hermsii and transmitted by Ornithodoros hermsi soft ticks, which typically live in nests of rodents such as ground squirrels, tree squirrels, and chipmunks in coniferous forests at altitudes between a 500 and 2500 m. Soft ticks can acquire RF Borrelia by feeding on infected rodents, the reservoir hosts.…”

“…In addition to bats, these ticks can also feed on humans and host Rickettsia spp. [ 67 ], with possible implications for tick-transmitted human diseases.…”

Correction to: First Report of the Bat Tick Carios kelleyi (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) From Vermont

“…Bats may host a diversity of hematophagous arthropods, including ticks, other mites, fleas, flies, and true bugs (Dick et al 2003, Szentiványi et al 2020. The soft tick Carios (originally Ornithodoros) kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls, 1941), commonly known as the bat tick, was recently detected in several new locations across North America (Nadolny et al 2021, Occi et al 2021). This species is widely distributed across the U.S. (31 states prior to this report) and southern Canada (Sonenshine andAnastos 1960, Nadolny et al 2021).…”

“…kelleyi is an endophilic nidicole that parasitizes bats and remains in the proximity of its blood-host (Gray et al 2014). When not on-host, these ticks seek refuge in natural or artificial crevices, including those within human-made structures, such as barns and residential attics, where bats roost (Nadolny et al 2021). Adults and nymphs feed intermittently and attach to the hosts for only a few hours at a time, preferring to do so under subdued light or in the dark.…”

“…This tick species prefer bats as hosts and does not usually feed on humans (Nadolny et al 2021); however, there have been reports of C. kelleyi feeding on both humans (Gill et al 2004) and domestic dogs (Maestas 2019). C. kelleyi populations may become especially evident when bats that have colonized human structures are removed, forcing the ticks to seek alternative hosts.…”