The complete mitochondrial genome of Sarcoptes scabiei var. nyctereutis from the Japanese raccoon dog: Prediction and detection of two transfer RNAs (tRNA-A and tRNA-Y)

Abstract

Sarcoptes scabiei (Acari: Sarcoptidae) causes a common contagious skin disease that affects many mammals. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome of a mite, S. scabiei var. nyctereutis, from Japanese wild raccoon dogs was analyzed. The 13,837bp circular genome contained 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes. For the first time, two tRNAs (alanine and tyrosine), that were thought to be absent in scabies mites from other animals, were predicted to have short, non-cloverleaf structures by in silico annotation and detected by RT-PCR, sequencing, and northern analysis. The mitochondrial genome structure of S. scabiei is similar to that of Psoroptes cuniculi and Dermatophagoides farinae. While small and unusual tRNA genes seem to be common among acariform mites, further experimental evidence for their presence is needed. Furthermore, through an analysis of the cox1 gene, we have provided new evidence to confirm the transmission of this mite between different animal hosts.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genomes of two Ixodes ticks, I. nipponensis and Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) sp.

“…Recently, the names of several taxonomically controversial hard tick species are declared as invalid (Guglielmone et al ., 2014), and some others are reclassified with the erection of several new genera (Barker & Burger, 2018), mostly based on morphological features alone. The use of molecular markers is a complementary approach to the accurate identification and systematics of a variety of parasites (Sunantaraporn et al ., 2015; Kelomey et al ., 2017;Pereira et al ., 2017; Xue et al ., 2017; Ueda et al ., 2019). Genetic markers, such as mitochondrial (mt) cox 1 and the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS‐2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA), have been proven useful for the identification and differentiation of hard ticks (Song et al ., 2011; Kovalev et al ., 2016).…”

Biology and management of sarcoptic mange in wild Caprinae populations

“…The complete mitochondrial genome of Sarcoptes scabiei has been recently elucidated (Ueda et al 2019), and results support the possibility of transmission of Sarcoptes mites between different host species. In the near future, knowledge on the complete genome of the mite species may become a powerful tool for designing a vaccine and effective treatments against mange.…”

Diseases of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica)

“…Further advances in sarcoptic mange diagnosis have been proposed to overcome limitations and improve sensitivity, specificity, and/or applicability on the field, including (1) molecular techniques to detect genetic material of S. scabiei through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Mounsey et al 2012 ; Alasaad et al 2015 ), which allows phylogenetic analyses (Ueda et al 2019 ; Moroni et al 2021 ); (2) detection of the immunoglobulin G generated by the host species after contact with S. scabiei (Puigdemont et al 2002 ; Rambozzi et al 2004 ; Bornstein et al 2006 ; Casais et al 2007 ; Oleaga et al 2008 ; Millán et al 2012 ; Haas et al 2015a ; Ráez-Bravo et al 2016 ), which allows retrospective epidemiologic studies (Haas et al 2018 ); (3) camera-trapping, useful for detecting mange in naïve or suspected areas reducing surveillance effort but unreliable to assess prevalence and with the same probability of false negatives and positives as visual diagnosis (Oleaga et al 2011 ; Haas et al 2015b ; Brewster et al 2017 ; Carricondo Sánchez et al 2017 ; Saito and Sonoda 2017 ); (4) thermal imaging, based in the increased body heat radiation of mangy individuals due to hair loss and skin inflammation, with low sensitivity beyond a distance of 100 m and therefore mostly useful only with handled individuals (Cross et al 2016 ; Arenas et al 2002 ; Granados et al 2011 ), where other reliable specific and sensitive alternatives exist; and (5) trained dogs, which have successfully detected dead chamois or severely affected by sarcoptic mange in the Alps, apparently with high sensitivity and 100% specificity (Alasaad et al 2012 ). However, none of these diagnostic methodologies have been either validated or standardized yet.…”