Manual for maintenance of multi-host ixodid ticks in the laboratory

Levin, Michael; Schumacher, Lauren

doi:10.1007/s10493-016-0084-8

Cited by 42 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…For assessment of transovarial transmission (TOT), adult ticks derived from guinea pig-fed nymphs were allowed to feed on New Zealand white rabbits as previously described (Troughton and Levin, 2007; Levin and Schumacher, 2016). Rabbits were infested with 20 pairs (male/female) of A. americanum ticks from either Di-6- or AZ-3-infected cohorts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vector competence of Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) for Rickettsia rickettsii

Levin

Zemtsova

Killmaster

et al. 2017

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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Rickettsia rickettsii – the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) – is widely spread across the Americas. In the US, Dermacentor spp. ticks are identified as primary vectors of R. rickettsii and Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. has been implicated in transmission of this pathogen in several locations in the Southwest. Conversely, ticks of the genus Amblyomma are recognized vectors of RMSF in Central and South America, but not in the US. A. americanum is one of the most aggressive human-biting ticks in the US, whose geographical range overlaps with that of reported RMSF cases. Despite sporadic findings of R. rickettsii DNA in field-collected A. americanum and circumstantial association of this species with human RMSF cases, its vector competence for R. rickettsii has not been appropriately studied. Therefore, we assessed the ability of A. americanum to acquire and transmit two geographically distant isolates of R. rickettsii. The Di-6 isolate of R. rickettsii used in this study originated in Virginia and the AZ-3 isolate originated in Arizona. Under laboratory conditions, A. americanum demonstrated vector competence for both isolates, although the efficiency of acquisition and transovarial transmission was higher for Di-6 than for AZ-3 isolate. Uninfected larvae acquired the pathogen from systemically infected guinea pigs, as well as while feeding side by side with Rickettsia-infected ticks on non-rickettsiemic hosts. Once acquired, R. rickettsii was successfully maintained through the tick molting process and transmitted to susceptible animals during subsequent feedings. Guinea pigs and dogs infested with infected A. americanum developed fever, scrotal edema and dermatitis or macular rash. R. rickettsii DNA was identified in animal blood, skin, and internal organs. The prevalence of infection within tick cohorts gradually increased due to side-by-side feeding of infected and uninfected individuals from 33 to 49% in freshly molted nymphs to 71–98% in engorged females. Moreover, R. rickettsii was transmitted transovarially by approximately 28% and 14% of females infected with Di-6 and AZ-3 isolates, respectively. Hence, A. americanum is capable of acquiring, maintaining and transmitting R. rickettsii isolates originating from two different geographical regions of the US, at least under laboratory conditions. Its role in ecology and epidemiology of RMSF in the US deserves further investigation.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vector competence of Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) for Rickettsia rickettsii

Levin

Zemtsova

Killmaster

et al. 2017

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

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“…Colonies of I. scapularis and I. pacificus originated from ticks collected from vegetation in Rhode Island in 2003, and California in 2000, respectively. Both species were then reared under identical, standard lab conditions, entailing maintenance in sterile polystyrene containers in environmental incubators at a relative humidity of 90%, temperature of 22 ± 1 °C, and a 16:8 h light:dark photoperiod [38,39]. Deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, were used for all host feeding assessments as this species is a common tick host found in the ranges of both I. scapularis and I. pacificus [39,40].…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both species were then reared under identical, standard lab conditions, entailing maintenance in sterile polystyrene containers in environmental incubators at a relative humidity of 90%, temperature of 22 ± 1 °C, and a 16:8 h light:dark photoperiod [38,39]. Deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, were used for all host feeding assessments as this species is a common tick host found in the ranges of both I. scapularis and I. pacificus [39,40]. Relative feeding on P. maniculatus is generally lower for I. pacificus relative to I. scapularis [27,41,42] but in some regions such as the Midwest, the absolute mean burdens are similar [43,44].…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pathogen acquisition (host to tick) As B. burgdorferi is not vertically transmitted, pathogen acquisition by larvae is crucial for B. burgdorferi maintenance and amplification [12] An equal proportion of I. scapularis and I. pacificus acquired their respective sympatric pathogen strain, and an equal but lower proportion of I. scapularis and I. pacificus acquired their allopatric pathogen strain Pathogen transmission (tick to host) As the adult vector life stages typically feed on noncompetent reservoir hosts, efficient pathogen transmission by nymphs to hosts is critical for B. burgdorferi maintenance and amplification [12] I. scapularis transmitted the pathogen to a greater number of hosts than I. pacificus which did not transmit to any hosts, although unequal numbers of infected ticks were applied to hosts maintained at 22 ± 1 °C, and a 16:8 h light:dark photoperiod was used [39].…”

Section: Engorgement Weightmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative vector competence of North American Lyme disease vectors

Couper

Yang

et al. 2020

Parasites Vectors

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Background: Understanding the drivers of Lyme disease incidence at broad spatial scales is critical for predicting and mitigating human disease risk. Previous studies have identified vector phenology and behavior, host community composition, and landscape features as drivers of variable Lyme disease risk. However, while the Lyme disease transmission cycles in the eastern and western USA involve different vector species (Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus, respectively), the role of vector-specific differences in transmission efficiency has not been directly examined. By comparing the performance of traits involved in vector competence between these two species, this study aims to identify how vector competence contributes to variable Lyme disease risk. Methods:We used a suite of laboratory experiments to compare the performance of traits related to vector competence for the two USA Lyme disease vectors. For each species, we measured the rate of attachment to a common rodent host, the engorgement weight, and the efficiency of pathogen acquisition (host to tick) and pathogen transmission (tick to host) from laboratory mice. In measuring pathogen acquisition and transmission, we used two different pathogen strains, one sympatric with I. scapularis and one sympatric with I. pacificus, to assess the importance of vector-pathogen coevolutionary history in transmission dynamics. Results:We found I. pacificus had significantly higher host attachment success and engorgement weights, but significantly lower pathogen transmission efficiency relative to I. scapularis. Molting success and pathogen acquisition did not differ between these two species. However, pathogen acquisition efficiency was significantly higher for both sympatric vector and pathogen strains than the allopatric pairings. Conclusions:This study identified species-specific vector traits as a potential driver of broad scale variation in Lyme disease risk in the USA. In particular, the exceedingly low rates of pathogen transmission from tick to host observed for I. pacificus may limit Lyme disease transmission efficiency in the western USA. Further, observed variation in pathogen acquisition between sympatric and allopatric vector-pathogen strains indicate that vector-pathogen coevolutionary history may play a key role in transmission dynamics. These findings underscore the need to consider vector traits and vector-pathogen coevolution as important factors governing regional Lyme disease risk.

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“…Laboratory colonies of various tick species have been established worldwide to understand the biology and physiology of ticks. The transmission, maintenance, infectivity, virulence, and pathogenicity of tick-borne pathogens can be studied under quasinatural conditions by using tick colonies (Levin and Schumacher, 2016). Pathogen-free tick colonies are essential as references in studies on tick-pathogen interactions (Battsetseg et al, 2001;Fujisaki, 1978;Ikadai et al, 2007;Patel et al, 2016;Tonetti et al, 2015;Umemiya-Shirafuji et al, 2017).…”

Section: Importance Of Laboratory Colonies Of Ticks As Research Resoumentioning

confidence: 99%

Hard ticks as research resources for vector biology: from genome to whole-body level

Umemiya‐Shirafuji

Fujisaki

Okado

et al. 2019

Jap. J. Sanit. Zool.

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In the past decades, omics data including genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes of several tick species of medical and veterinary importance have become available as web-based resources. In addition, laboratory colonies and tick cell lines have been established and are now essential tools for the advancement of tick research. Unfortunately, currently, such databases and the biobank of the ticks distributed in Japan are insufficient. To date, available data are from Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901, one of major hard tick species in Japan and a vector of various microorganisms that are harmful to human and animals. H. longicornis has been used as an "experimental model of hard tick" for biological and physiological studies and for validation of effectiveness of insecticides or acaricides in research institutions. The parthenogenetic tick is used as research material because it can be stably supplied. This mini-review provides a concise overview of recent advances of omics approaches in tick research. The importance of laboratory colonies of ticks and the prospect of tick research in Japan are also discussed.

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Manual for maintenance of multi-host ixodid ticks in the laboratory

Cited by 42 publications

References 69 publications

Vector competence of Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) for Rickettsia rickettsii

Vector competence of Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) for Rickettsia rickettsii

Comparative vector competence of North American Lyme disease vectors

Hard ticks as research resources for vector biology: from genome to whole-body level

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