Symbiont dynamics during the blood meal of Ixodes ricinus nymphs differ according to their sex

Daveu, Romain; Laurence, Cindy; Bouju-Albert, Agnès; Sassera, Davide; Plantard, Olivier

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101707

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In the current study, the engorgement rates for females (64.3%) and nymphs (65.3%) fed on B. henselae -infected blood were very similar and also similar compared to another study examining nymphs (62.3%) after B. henselae -infection [ 9 ]. A recent study showed that the engorgement weight of nymphs may be a predictive value concerning the future sex the nymphs develop into [ 44 ]. Lighter nymphs supposedly develop into male adults while heavier nymphs develop more likely into females.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Transmission Paths for Three Different Bartonella spp. in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Using Artificial Feeding

et al. 2021

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Bartonellae are facultative intracellular alpha-proteobacteria often transmitted by arthropods. Ixodes ricinus is the most important vector for arthropod-borne pathogens in Europe. However, its vector competence for Bartonella spp. is still unclear. This study aimed to experimentally compare its vector competence for three Bartonella species: B. henselae, B. grahamii, and B. schoenbuchensis. A total of 1333 ticks (1021 nymphs and 312 adults) were separated into four groups, one for each pathogen and a negative control group. Ticks were fed artificially with bovine blood spiked with the respective Bartonella species. DNA was extracted from selected ticks to verify Bartonella-infection by PCR. DNA of Bartonella spp. was detected in 34% of nymphs and females after feeding. The best engorgement results were obtained by ticks fed with B. henselae-spiked blood (65.3%) and B. schoenbuchensis (61.6%). Significantly more nymphs fed on infected blood (37.3%) molted into adults compared to the control group (11.4%). Bartonella DNA was found in 22% of eggs laid by previously infected females and in 8.6% of adults molted from infected nymphs. The transovarial and transstadial transmission of bartonellae suggest that I. ricinus could be a potential vector for three bacteria.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Transmission Paths for Three Different Bartonella spp. in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Using Artificial Feeding

et al. 2021

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“…Possibly, M. mitochondrii, which is more often carried by female than male ticks (Lo et al, 2006), enhances the ticks' probability of becoming infected with zoonotic pathogens. Generally, immature female I. ricinus are larger and take a lengthier and more extensive bloodmeals than male ones (Dusbabek, 1996;Daveu et al, 2021), which might facilitate the acquisition of a pathogen from a host. Also, the observed positive associations of the M. mitochondrii symbionts with B. burgdorferi s.l.…”

Section: Of Horizontally-with Vertically-transmitted Microorganismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick microbial associations at the crossroad of horizontal and vertical transmission pathways

Krawczyk

Röttjers

Coimbra-Dores

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Microbial communities can affect disease risk by interfering with the transmission or maintenance of pathogens in blood-feeding arthropods. Here, we investigated whether bacterial communities vary between Ixodes ricinus nymphs, which are (un)infected with horizontally-transmitted human pathogens. Methods: Ticks from eight forest sites were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Neoehrlichia mikurensis by qPCR, pooled, and their microbiomes were determined by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Tick bacterial communities clustered poorly by pathogen infection status but better by geography. As a second approach, we analysed variation in tick microorganism community structure (in terms of species co-infection) across space using hierarchical modelling of species communities. For that, we analysed almost 14,000 nymphs, which were tested with targeted qPCR for the presence of horizontally-transmitted pathogens B. burgdorferi s.l., A. phagocytophilum, and N. mikurensis, and the vertically-transmitted tick symbionts Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsiella spp., Spiroplasma ixodetis and Midichloria mitochondrii. Results: All microorganisms but Rickettsiella spp. had either significant negative (R. helvetica and A. phagocytophilum) or positive (S. ixodetis, N. mikurensis, and B. burgdorferi s.l.) associations with M. mitochondrii. Two tick symbionts, R. helvetica and S. ixodetis, were negatively associated. As expected, both B. burgdorferi s.l. and N. mikurensis had a significant positive association with each other and a negative association with A. phagocytophilum. Although these few specific associations do not appear to affect much the entire microbiome composition, they can still be relevant for tick-borne pathogen dynamics. Conclusions: Based on our results, we propose that M. mitochondrii alters the propensity of ticks to acquire or maintain horizontally-acquired pathogens. The underlying mechanisms for some of these remarkable interactions are discussed and merit further investigation.

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“…In addition to pathogens, ticks also harbor various microbiomes which include symbiotic and commensal bacteria [ 11 ]. Tick endosymbionts have gained interest over the last decade and are now being investigated due to their physiological significance in ticks [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, they are also involved in the maintenance of pathogens in arthropods [ 15 ]. To date, three genera of symbionts ( Coxiella -like endosymbionts, Francisella -like endosymbionts, and Midichloria ) have been documented to be exclusive to ticks, and some of these symbionts are mutualistic, whereas others may be facultative [ 11 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Bacteria from Amblyomma (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks Collected from Reptiles in South Africa

2022

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Reptiles are hosts for various tick species and tick-associated organisms, many of which are zoonotic. However, little is known about the presence and diversity of tick-borne bacteria infecting reptiles and their ticks in South Africa. Amblyomma ticks (n = 253) collected from reptiles were screened for the presence of Coxiella, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species by amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA, gltA, OmpA, and Flagellin genes, respectively. This study recorded the presence of reptile associated Borrelia species and Coxiella-like endosymbiont in South Africa for the first time. Furthermore, a spotted fever group Rickettsia species was observed in 7 Amblyomma marmoreum and 14 Amblyomma sylvaticum from tortoises of genera Kinixys and Chersina. Francisella-like endosymbiont was observed from 2 Amblyomma latum collected from the Mozambique spitting cobra, Naja mossambica. Coxiella burnetii and Anaplasma spp., were not detected from the current samples. Although the direct evidence that reptiles can act as reservoir hosts remains to be determined, observations from this study provide indications that reptilian ticks may play a role in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to homothermic animals. Furthermore, the absence of Anaplasma spp., and C. burnetii does not mean that these pathogens should be completely neglected.

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Symbiont dynamics during the blood meal of Ixodes ricinus nymphs differ according to their sex

Cited by 14 publications

References 45 publications

Evaluating Transmission Paths for Three Different Bartonella spp. in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Using Artificial Feeding

Evaluating Transmission Paths for Three Different Bartonella spp. in Ixodes ricinus Ticks Using Artificial Feeding

Tick microbial associations at the crossroad of horizontal and vertical transmission pathways

Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Bacteria from Amblyomma (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks Collected from Reptiles in South Africa

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