Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever In The Rabbit

Gomez, Liborio

doi:10.1093/infdis/6.3.383

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Though we found no statistical difference in infection prevalence in ticks generated in the first and second round of nymphal feedings, it is important to note that the secondary feeding transmission may not necessarily be entirely from co-feeding; there is a chance rabbits developed systemic infections over the previous 7 days of infestation. Although rabbits were not assessed for systemic infections during the feeding, they are known to be susceptible to RMSF (Gomez 1909, Ramírez-Hernández et al 2020). Clinical signs typically do not appear until 5 days or later post-exposure for exposed rabbits, by which time most of our first-round ticks were replete (Gomez 1909, Foot 1919).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although rabbits were not assessed for systemic infections during the feeding, they are known to be susceptible to RMSF (Gomez 1909, Ramírez-Hernández et al 2020). Clinical signs typically do not appear until 5 days or later post-exposure for exposed rabbits, by which time most of our first-round ticks were replete (Gomez 1909, Foot 1919). Serological results for rabbits utilized in this study indicated confirmed exposure to R. rickettsii in at least 1 animal, with reciprocal titers of 1/1,028 and 1/16 for RB03 and RB04, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acquisition of Rickettsia rickettsii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) by Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) through co-feeding with infected Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) in the laboratory

Johnson

Snellgrove

McBride

et al. 2023

Journal of Medical Entomology

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Haemaphysalis longicornis (Neumann) is an invasive ixodid tick originating from eastern Asia which recently has become established in the United States. In its native range, this tick can transmit several pathogens to animals and humans, but little is known about its ability to acquire and transmit pathogens native to the United States. Geographic overlap with ticks such as Dermacentor variabilis (Say), a known vector of Rickettsia rickettsii, makes investigation into the interactions between H. longicornis and D. variabilis of interest to the public health community. Previous studies have shown that H. longicornis can serve as a competent vector of R. rickettsii under laboratory settings, but there is little information on its ability to acquire this pathogen via other biologically relevant routes, such as co-feeding. Here, we assess the ability of H. longicornis nymphs to acquire R. rickettsii through co-feeding with infected D. variabilis adults on a vertebrate animal model under laboratory conditions. The median infection prevalence in engorged H. longicornis nymphs across 8 cohorts was 0% with an interquartile range (IQR) of 4.13%. Following transstadial transmission, the median infection prevalence in flat females was 0.7% (IQR = 2.4%). Our results show that co-feeding transmission occurs at low levels in the laboratory between these 2 species. However, based on the relatively low transmission rates, this may not be a likely mechanism of R. rickettsii introduction to H. longicornis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%