Soft Tick Relapsing Fever — United States, 2012–2021

Beeson, Amy M.; Kjemtrup, Anne; Oltean, Hanna; Schnitzler, Hannah; Venkat, Heather; Ruberto, Irene; Marzec, Natalie; Cozart, Devon; Tengelsen, Leslie; Ladd-Wilson, Stephen; Rettler, Hannah; Mayes, Bonny; Broussard, Kelly; Garcia, Ali; Drake, Lisa L.; Dietrich, Elizabeth A.; Petersen, Jeannine; Hinckley, Alison F.; Kugeler, Kiersten J.; Marx, Grace E.

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7229a1

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Ornithodoros turicata is a vector of Borrelia turicatae in Texas and in Mexico, which causes tick-borne relapsing fever in humans and dogs (Beeson et al, 2023;Bissett et al, 2018). This study's results…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…Ornithodoros turicata is a vector of Borrelia turicatae in Texas and in Mexico, which causes tick‐borne relapsing fever in humans and dogs (Beeson et al., 2023; Bissett et al., 2018). This study's results identify the diverse community of potential reservoir hosts that could contribute to the enzootic maintenance of B. turicatae in nature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different species of Ornithodoros are important vectors and reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria in the spirochete genus Borrelia that cause tick‐borne relapsing fever (TBRF) in humans and in domestic animals in the Americas (Faccini‐Martínez et al., 2022). Ornithodoros turicata transmit Borrelia turicatae , an agent of TBRF, which is found in Texas and other western states associated with caves or animal burrows (Beeson et al., 2023; Campbell et al., 2019; Dworkin et al., 2008). Multiple Ornithodoros ticks, including O. turicata , are also competent vectors of African swine fever virus (ASFV).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Blood meal metabarcoding of the argasid tick (Ornithodoros turicata Dugès) reveals extensive vector‐host associations

Balasubramanian,

Busselman,

Fernandez‐Santos

et al. 2024

Environmental DNA

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Molecular methods to understand host feeding patterns of arthropod vectors are critical to assess exposure risk to vector‐borne disease and unveil complex ecological interactions. We build on our prior work discovering the utility of PCR‐Sanger sequencing blood meal analysis that work well for soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae), unlike for hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), thanks to their unique physiology that retains prior blood meals for years. Here, we apply blood meal metabarcoding using amplicon deep sequencing to identify multiple host species in individual Ornithodoros turicata soft ticks collected from two natural areas in Texas, United States. Of 788 collected O. turicata, 394 were evaluated for blood meal source via metabarcoding, revealing 27 different vertebrate hosts (17 mammals, five birds, one reptile, and four amphibians) fed upon by 274 soft ticks. Information on multiple hosts was derived from 167 individual O. turicata (61%). Metabarcoding revealed mixed vertebrate blood meals in O. turicata while same specimens yielded only one vertebrate species using Sanger sequencing. These data reveal wide host range of O. turicata and demonstrate the value of blood meal metabarcoding for understanding the ecology for known and potential tick‐borne pathogens circulating among humans, domestic animals, and wildlife such as relapsing fever caused by Borrelia turicatae. Our results also document evidence of prior feeding on wild pig from an off‐host soft tick for the first time in North America; a critical observation in the context of enzootic transmission of African swine fever virus if it were introduced to the US. This research enhances our understanding of vector‐host associations and offers a promising perspective for biodiversity monitoring and disease control strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Blood meal metabarcoding of the argasid tick (Ornithodoros turicata Dugès) reveals extensive vector‐host associations

Balasubramanian,

Busselman,

Fernandez‐Santos

et al. 2024

Environmental DNA

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“…This infectious disease of bacterial origin is characterized by an abrupt onset of high fever followed by two or more recurrent episodes of fever separated by afebrile periods. Depending on the occurrence of the vectors, RF caused by argasid ticks is mainly found in mountainous areas at the West Coast of North America, in south-western and south-central countries of the United States, northern Mexico, and in temperate and tropical regions of different African territories ( 5 , 6 ). In contrast, louse-borne RF caused by B. recurrentis is geographically restricted to countries along the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and South-Sudan ( 3 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multifunctional interaction of CihC/FbpC orthologs of relapsing fever spirochetes with host-derived proteins involved in adhesion, fibrinolysis, and complement evasion

Damm,

Reyer,

Langhoff

et al. 2024

Front. Immunol.

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IntroductionRelapsing fever (RF) remains a neglected human disease that is caused by a number of diverse pathogenic Borrelia (B.) species. Characterized by high cell densities in human blood, relapsing fever spirochetes have developed plentiful strategies to avoid recognition by the host defense mechanisms. In this scenario, spirochetal lipoproteins exhibiting multifunctional binding properties in the interaction with host-derived molecules are known to play a key role in adhesion, fibrinolysis and complement activation.MethodsBinding of CihC/FbpC orthologs to different human proteins and conversion of protein-bound plasminogen to proteolytic active plasmin were examined by ELISA. To analyze the inhibitory capacity of CihC/FbpC orthologs on complement activation, a microtiter-based approach was performed. Finally, AlphaFold predictions were utilized to identified the complement-interacting residues.Results and discussionHere, we elucidate the binding properties of CihC/FbpC-orthologs from distinct RF spirochetes including B. parkeri, B. hermsii, B. turicatae, and B. recurrentis to human fibronectin, plasminogen, and complement component C1r. All CihC/FbpC-orthologs displayed similar binding properties to fibronectin, plasminogen, and C1r, respectively. Functional studies revealed a dose dependent binding of plasminogen to all borrelial proteins and conversion to active plasmin. The proteolytic activity of plasmin was almost completely abrogated by tranexamic acid, indicating that lysine residues are involved in the interaction with this serine protease. In addition, a strong inactivation capacity toward the classical pathway could be demonstrated for the wild-type CihC/FbpC-orthologs as well as for the C-terminal CihC fragment of B. recurrentis. Pre-incubation of human serum with borrelial molecules except CihC/FbpC variants lacking the C-terminal region protected serum-susceptible Borrelia cells from complement-mediated lysis. Utilizing AlphaFold2 predictions and existing crystal structures, we mapped the putative key residues involved in C1r binding on the CihC/FbpC orthologs attempting to explain the relatively small differences in C1r binding affinity despite the substitutions of key residues. Collectively, our data advance the understanding of the multiple binding properties of structural and functional highly similar molecules of relapsing fever spirochetes proposed to be involved in pathogenesis and virulence.

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“…Borrelia has been identified in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa in reservoir hosts and vectors, and human Borrelia infection has been reported, with the relative disease described [ 2 ]. Most tick-borne relapsing fever pathogens are transmitted via soft tick, including B. duttoni , B. hermsii , B. turicatae , B. parkeri [ 3 ]. However, it has been noted that the vector of B. miyamotoi is the hard tick [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic investigation of the Borrelia miyamotoi spirochetes in ticks, wildlife and domestic animal hosts in Yunnan province, Southwest China

Du,

Yang,

Yao

et al. 2024

One Health

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Soft Tick Relapsing Fever — United States, 2012–2021

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Blood meal metabarcoding of the argasid tick (Ornithodoros turicata Dugès) reveals extensive vector‐host associations

Blood meal metabarcoding of the argasid tick (Ornithodoros turicata Dugès) reveals extensive vector‐host associations

Multifunctional interaction of CihC/FbpC orthologs of relapsing fever spirochetes with host-derived proteins involved in adhesion, fibrinolysis, and complement evasion

Systematic investigation of the Borrelia miyamotoi spirochetes in ticks, wildlife and domestic animal hosts in Yunnan province, Southwest China

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