| range expansion and increasing borrelia burgdorferi infection of the tick ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) in iowa, 1990-2013. | a passive surveillance program monitored ticks submitted by the public in iowa from 1990-2013. submitted ticks were identified to species and life stage, and ixodes scapularis say nymphs and adults were tested for the presence of borrelia burgdorferi. an average of 2.6 of iowa's 99 counties submitted first reports of i. scapularis per year over the surveillance period, indicating expansion of this tick species across the state. the proportion of vector ticks infected by b. burgdorferi increased ... | 2017 | 28633503 |
| rickettsia buchneri sp. nov., a rickettsial endosymbiont of the blacklegged tick ixodes scapularis. | we obtained a rickettsial isolate from the ovaries of the blacklegged tick, ixodes scapularis. the isolate (iso7(t)) was grown in the ixodes ricinus embryonic cell line ire11. we characterized the isolate by transmission electron microscopy and gene sequencing. phylogenetic analysis of 11 housekeeping genes demonstrated that the isolate fulfils the criteria to be classified as a representative of a novel rickettsial species closely related to 'rickettsia monacensis'. these rickettsiae form a cla ... | 2015 | 25563918 |
| the rickettsia endosymbiont of ixodes pacificus contains all the genes of de novo folate biosynthesis. | ticks and other arthropods often are hosts to nutrient providing bacterial endosymbionts, which contribute to their host's fitness by supplying nutrients such as vitamins and amino acids. it has been detected, in our lab, that ixodes pacificus is host to rickettsia species phylotype g021. this endosymbiont is predominantly present, and 100% maternally transmitted in i. pacificus. to study roles of phylotype g021 in i. pacificus, bioinformatic and molecular approaches were carried out. mummer gen ... | 2015 | 26650541 |
| fluorescent protein expressing rickettsia buchneri and rickettsia peacockii for tracking symbiont-tick cell interactions. | rickettsiae of indeterminate pathogenicity are widely associated with ticks. the presence of these endosymbionts can confound a one health approach to combatting tick-borne diseases. genomic analyses of symbiotic rickettsiae have revealed that they harbor mutations in gene coding for proteins involved in rickettsial pathogenicity and motility. we have isolated and characterized two rickettsial symbionts-rickettsia peacockii and r. buchneri-both from ticks using tick cell cultures. to better trac ... | 2016 | 29056742 |