Theileria orientalis Ikeda in host-seeking Haemaphysalis longicornis in Virginia, U.S.A.

Thompson, Alec T.; White, Seth A.; Shaw, David; Egizi, Andrea; Lahmers, Kevin K.; Ruder, Mark G.; Yabsley, Michael J.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101450

Cited by 61 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Another recent laboratory study found that larval and nymphal H. longicornis were able to acquire Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, from infected guinea pigs and transmit the pathogen to susceptible guinea pigs; they also observed transovarial transmission of R. rickettsii at a low frequency (Stanley et al, 2020). (Thompson et al, 2020), further supporting the feeding habits of H. longicornis for larger mammalian hosts and providing insights into their vector potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Association of the invasiveHaemaphysalis longicornistick with vertebrate hosts, other native tick vectors, and tick-borne pathogens in New York City

Tufts

Goodman

Benedict

et al. 2020

Preprint

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AbstractHaemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick, is an invasive ixodid tick that has rapidly spread across the northeastern and southeastern regions of the United States since first reported in 2017. The emergence of H. longicornis presents a potential threat for livestock, wildlife, and human health as the host associations and vector potential of this invasive pest in the United States are poorly understood. Previous field data from the United States has shown that H. longicornis was not associated with natural populations of small mammals or birds, but they show a preference for medium sized mammals in laboratory experiments. Therefore, medium and large sized mammals were sampled on Staten Island, New York to determine H. longicornis host associations and vector potential for a range of human and veterinary pathogens. A total of 97 hosts were sampled and five species of tick (Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, H. longicornis, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes cookei) were found feeding concurrently on these hosts. Haemaphysalis longicornis was found in the highest proportions compared to other native tick species on raccoons (55.4%), Virginia opossums (28.9%), and white-tailed deer (11.5%). Tissue, blood, and engorged larvae were tested for 17 different pathogens using a nanoscale PCR platform. Infection with five pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., Mycoplasma haemocanis, and Bartonella spp.) was detected in host samples, but no pathogens were found in any larval samples. These results suggest that although large and medium sized mammals feed large numbers of H. longicornis ticks in the environment there is presently a low potential for H. longicornis to acquire pathogens from these wildlife hosts.HighlightsH. longicornis were sampled from seven genera of large and medium-sized mammalsRaccoons, opossums, and white-tailed deer fed a large proportion of H. longicornisH. longicornis did not acquire pathogens through co-feeding with native tick vectorsHost species were infected with a range of pathogens of human and veterinary concernHost-derived H. longicornis engorged larvae were not infected with any pathogens

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Association of the invasiveHaemaphysalis longicornistick with vertebrate hosts, other native tick vectors, and tick-borne pathogens in New York City

Tufts

Goodman

Benedict

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…This is the rst report of T. orientalis transmission by H. longicornis ticks in the U.S. Our ndings support the hypothesis that transmission of T. orientalis Ikeda within the Abermarle County, VA area is due to the abundance of H. longicornis. The previous detection of T. orientalis Ikeda in H. longicornis, but not native ticks, from the same area in VA provides further support for this hypothesis [33]. H. longicornis has already spread to at least fourteen U.S. states [27,28,35], survives well in varied environmental conditions [24,27,28,35], and exhibits a wide array of host feeding preference [24], including deer and avian species [25,27,28,35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…[36,37,39,40], and thus may be competent vectors of T. orientalis as well. Although T. orientalis was not detected in eld-collected cohorts of A. americanum (n = 28) and D. variablilis (n = 10) ticks in VA [33], larger scale, controlled acquisition and transmission experiments are required to de nitively determine the vector competence of these tick species for T. orientalis Ikeda.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interestingly, T. orientalis Buffeli isolated from a historical U.S. outbreak was not transmissible by Korean H. longicornis ticks [1,32]. Although H. longicornis ticks from VA were PCR-positive for T. orientalis Ikeda [33], it is not yet known whether these ticks are the source of T. orientalis transmission to cattle in VA. If H. longicornis proves to be a competent vector of T. orientalis Ikeda in the U.S., increased tick control practices and vigilance regarding cattle health may be required to prevent disease spread and losses similar to those experienced by cattle producers in Australia and New Zealand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A U.S. Isolate of Theileria Orientalis, Ikeda Genotype, is Transmitted to Cattle by the Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick, Haemaphysalis Longicornis

Dinkel

Herndon

Noh

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BACKGROUNDTheileria orientalis is a tick-borne hemoparasite that causes anemia, ill thrift, and death in cattle globally. The Ikeda strain of T. orientalis is more virulent than other strains, leading to severe clinical signs and death in less than 5% of affected animals. Within the Asia-Pacific region, where it affects 25% of Australian cattle, T. orientalis Ikeda has a significant economic impact on the cattle industry. In 2017, T. orientalis Ikeda was detected in a cattle herd in Albermarle County, Virginia, United States. Months earlier, the U.S. was alerted to the invasion of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, throughout the eastern U.S. Abundant H. longicornis ticks were identified on cattle in the T. orientalis-affected herd in VA, and a subset of ticks from the environment were PCR-positive for T. orientalis Ikeda. A strain of T. orientalis from a previous U.S. outbreak was not transmissible by H. longicornis; however, H. longicornis is the primary tick vector of T. orientalis Ikeda in other regions of the world. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether invasive H. longicornis ticks in the U.S. are competent vectors of T. orientalis Ikeda. METHODSNymphal H. longicornis ticks were fed on a splenectomized calf infected with the VA-U.S.-T. orientalis Ikeda strain. After molting, a subset of adult ticks from this cohort were dissected, and salivary glands assayed for T. orientalis Ikeda via qPCR. The remaining adult ticks from the group were allowed to feed on three calves. Calves were subsequently monitored for T. orientalis Ikeda infection via blood smear cytology and PCR.RESULTSAfter acquisition feeding on a VA-U.S.-T. orientalis Ikeda-infected calf as nymphs, a subset of molted adult tick salivary glands tested positive by qPCR for T. orientalis Ikeda. Adult ticks from the same cohort successfully transmitted T. orientalis Ikeda to 3/3 naïve calves, each of which developed parasitemia reaching 0.4-0.9%.CONCLUSIONSOur findings demonstrate that U.S. H. longicornis ticks are competent vectors of the VA-U.S.-T. orientalis Ikeda strain. This data provides important information for the U.S. cattle industry regarding the potential spread of this parasite and the necessity of enhanced surveillance and control measures.

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“…Most recently, a study from Pennsylvania has detected Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (causative agent for Lyme Disease) in a single H. longicornis (Price et al, 2021). Another study tested host-seeking ticks in Virginia and detected an exotic cattle pathogen, Theileria orientalis Ikeda strain (Thompson et al, 2020b). Finally, a study from New York using a shotgun sequencing approach failed to detect any bacterial or viral pathogens from H. longicornis (Tufts et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A two-year study on the phenology, host and habitat associations, and pathogens ofHaemaphysalis longicornisin Virginia, U.S.A.

Thompson

White

Shaw

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Understanding the abiotic and biotic variables affecting tick populations is essential for studying the biology and health risks associated with vector species. We conducted a study on the phenology of exotic Haemaphysalis longicornis (Asian longhorned tick) at a site in Albemarle County, Virginia. We assessed the importance of available wildlife hosts, habitats, and microclimate variables such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed on this exotic tick’s presence and abundance. In addition, we determined the prevalence of selected tick-borne pathogens potentially transmitted by H. longicornis. We determined that the seasonal activity of H. longicornis was slightly different from previous studies in the northeastern United States. We observed nymphal ticks persist year-round but were most active in the spring, followed by a peak in adult activity in the summer and larval activity in the fall seasons. We also observed a lower probability of detecting H. longicornis in field habitats and the summer months. In addition, we detected H. longicornis on several wildlife hosts, including coyote (Canis latrans), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), woodchuck (Marmota monax), and a Peromyscus sp. This is the first detection of this tick on a rodent host important to the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens of humans and animals. Finally, we continued to detect the exotic piroplasm parasite, Theileria orientalis Ikeda, in H. longicornis as well as other pathogens, including Rickettsia felis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (AP-1), and a Hepatozoon sp. previously characterized in Amblyomma americanum. These represent some of the first detections of arthropod-borne pathogens native to the United States in host-seeking H. longicornis. These data increase our understanding of H. longicornis biology in the United States and provide valuable information into the future health risks associated with this tick and pathogens.

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Theileria orientalis Ikeda in host-seeking Haemaphysalis longicornis in Virginia, U.S.A.

Cited by 61 publications

References 27 publications

Association of the invasiveHaemaphysalis longicornistick with vertebrate hosts, other native tick vectors, and tick-borne pathogens in New York City

Association of the invasiveHaemaphysalis longicornistick with vertebrate hosts, other native tick vectors, and tick-borne pathogens in New York City

A U.S. Isolate of Theileria Orientalis, Ikeda Genotype, is Transmitted to Cattle by the Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick, Haemaphysalis Longicornis

A two-year study on the phenology, host and habitat associations, and pathogens ofHaemaphysalis longicornisin Virginia, U.S.A.

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