Rickettsiae in Gulf Coast Ticks<i>,</i>Arkansas, USA

Trout, R. T.; Steelman, C. D.; Szalanski, Allen L.; Williamson, Phillip

doi:10.3201/eid1605.091314

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Serologic cross-reactivity is well documented among Rickettsia spp. (Breitschwerdt et al 1987, Apperson et al 2008, Paddock et al 2008, Paddock et al 2010, Trout et al 2010. In experimental infections with mice and dogs, the highest titer is generated against the specific Rickettsia sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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“Rickettsia amblyommii” andR. montanensisInfection in Dogs Following Natural Exposure to Ticks

Barrett

Little

Shaw

2014

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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To determine the risk of canine infection with spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia spp. following natural tick exposure, 10 dogs determined to be free of evidence of exposure to or infection with tick-borne disease agents were exposed to ticks via weekly walks in a wooded area in north-central Oklahoma. After each walk, dogs were examined and the number and species of ticks present were recorded. The dogs were then returned to outdoor kennels to allow the infestations and subsequent transmission of any pathogens to proceed. Serum samples and whole blood were collected from each dog twice weekly for 121 days and evaluated via indirect fluorescence antibody (IFA) for antibodies reactive to Rickettsia rickettsii, R. montanensis, and "R. amblyommii," and by PCR for evidence of Rickettsia spp. Dogs became infested with a total of 57-108 ticks over the entire 8-week infestation period (weekly average tick infestation=12.0±4.1). The great majority of the ticks present were Amblyomma americanum (90.5%), with a small number of Dermacentor variabilis and A. maculatum also identified. All (10/10) dogs seroconverted to R. rickettsii, R. montanensis, and "R. amblyommii," with mean maximum inverse titers of 1176, 1448, and 6654, respectively, for all dogs in the study. Maximum inverse titers to "R. amblyommii" ranged from 4096 to 16,384 and were higher in 9/10 dogs than maximum inverse titers to R. rickettsii or R. montanensis. Sequence-confirmed SFG Rickettsia spp. (R. montanensis and "R. amblyommii") were occasionally, but not consistently, identified from whole blood by PCR. Taken together, our data suggest that, in areas where A. americanum is common, antibodies reactive to R. rickettsii in dogs may be due instead to infection with "R. amblyommii" or other, closely related SFG Rickettsia spp.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…amblyommii,'' R. montanensis, R. parkeri, or other Rickettsia spp. that have not yet been described (Apperson et al 2008, Paddock et al 2008, Paddock et al 2010, Trout et al 2010, McQuiston et al 2012. A previous survey of naturally infected dogs for antibodies to Rickettsia spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“Rickettsia amblyommii” andR. montanensisInfection in Dogs Following Natural Exposure to Ticks

Barrett

Little

Shaw

2014

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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“…In the United States the historic range of A. maculatum was reported to be within 160 km (100 miles) of the Gulf Coast and coastal southern Atlantic States from South Carolina to Texas (Bishopp and Trembley 1945). However, inland populations of the tick have been recognized in Oklahoma and Kansas since the 1970s (Semtner andHair 1973, Teel et al 2010), and more recently in Arkansas (Trout et al 2010). Additionally, incidental collections of A. maculatum throughout the later half of the 20th century, thought to have been due to migratory bird drop-offs (Scott et al 2001), have been reported from Iowa to Maine (Teel et al 2010), including Virginia (Sonenshine et al 1965), where historically four to five specimens are collected annually in Fairfax County (unpublished data), but it has only been within the last decade that the tick has been recognized as a vector of public health importance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…R. parkeri has been found infecting A. maculatum throughout much of its range. Positive specimens have been detected from at least nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas (Parker et al 1939, Philip and White 1955, Philip et al 1978, Sumner et al 2007, Edwards et al 2011, Paddock et al 2010, Trout et al 2010). Here we report high rates of R. parkeri infection in Gulf Coast ticks collected from Fairfax County, Virginia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

High Rates ofRickettsia parkeriInfection in Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) and Identification of “CandidatusRickettsia Andeanae” from Fairfax County, Virginia

Fornadel

Zhang

Smith

et al. 2011

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum, is a vector of Rickettsia parkeri, a recently identified human pathogen that causes a disease with clinical symptoms that resemble a mild form of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Because the prevalence of R. parkeri infection in geographically distinct populations of A. maculatum is not fully understood, A. maculatum specimens collected as part of a tick and pathogen surveillance system in Fairfax County, Virginia, were screened to determine pathogen infection rates. Overall, R. parkeri was found in 41.4% of the A. maculatum that were screened. Additionally, the novel spotted fever group Rickettsia sp., tentatively named "Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae," was observed for the first time in Virginia.

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“…The first confirmed human infection with R. parkeri was reported in 2004, and approximately 15 cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis have been described in the literature since that initial report (66)(67)(68)(69)(70). In the United States, Amblyomma maculatum (the Gulf Coast tick) is the principal vector for these bacteria, and R. parkeri is detected in 8% to 43% of questing adult A. maculatum ticks collected in states along the Gulf Coast and the southern Atlantic region (95)(96)(97)(98)(99)(100)(101). R. parkeri is distributed throughout multiple tissues of infected A. maculatum ticks, including the salivary glands, the midgut, the Malpighian tubules, and the ovaries (102).…”

Section: North and Central Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

Update on Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: a Geographic Approach

et al. 2013

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SUMMARY Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus Rickettsia . These zoonoses are among the oldest known vector-borne diseases. However, in the past 25 years, the scope and importance of the recognized tick-associated rickettsial pathogens have increased dramatically, making this complex of diseases an ideal paradigm for the understanding of emerging and reemerging infections. Several species of tick-borne rickettsiae that were considered nonpathogenic for decades are now associated with human infections, and novel Rickettsia species of undetermined pathogenicity continue to be detected in or isolated from ticks around the world. This remarkable expansion of information has been driven largely by the use of molecular techniques that have facilitated the identification of novel and previously recognized rickettsiae in ticks. New approaches, such as swabbing of eschars to obtain material to be tested by PCR, have emerged in recent years and have played a role in describing emerging tick-borne rickettsioses. Here, we present the current knowledge on tick-borne rickettsiae and rickettsioses using a geographic approach toward the epidemiology of these diseases.

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Rickettsiae in Gulf Coast Ticks,Arkansas, USA

Abstract: To determine the cause of spotted fever cases in the southern United States, we screened Gulf Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) collected in Arkansas for rickettsiae. Of the screened ticks, 30% had PCR amplicons consistent with Rickettsia parkeri or Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii.

Cited by 27 publications

References 12 publications

“Rickettsia amblyommii” andR. montanensisInfection in Dogs Following Natural Exposure to Ticks

“Rickettsia amblyommii” andR. montanensisInfection in Dogs Following Natural Exposure to Ticks

High Rates ofRickettsia parkeriInfection in Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) and Identification of “CandidatusRickettsia Andeanae” from Fairfax County, Virginia

Update on Tick-Borne Rickettsioses around the World: a Geographic Approach

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