| role of migratory birds in introduction and range expansion of ixodes scapularis ticks and of borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum in canada. | during the spring in 2005 and 2006, 39,095 northward-migrating land birds were captured at 12 bird observatories in eastern canada to investigate the role of migratory birds in northward range expansion of lyme borreliosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and their tick vector, ixodes scapularis. the prevalence of birds carrying i. scapularis ticks (mostly nymphs) was 0.35% (95% confidence interval [ci] = 0.30 to 0.42), but a nested study by experienced observers suggested a more realistic infe ... | 2008 | 18245258 |
| molecular method for discrimination between francisella tularensis and francisella-like endosymbionts. | environmental studies on the distribution of francisella spp. are hampered by the frequency of francisella-like endosymbionts that can produce a misleading positive result. a new, efficient molecular method for detection of francisella tularensis and its discrimination from francisella-like endosymbionts, as well as two variants associated with human disease (unusual f. tularensis strain fnsp1 and f. tularensis subsp. novicida-like strain 3523), is described. the method is highly specific and se ... | 2008 | 18650358 |
| rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis and its clinical distinction from rocky mountain spotted fever. | rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, a recently identified spotted fever transmitted by the gulf coast tick (amblyomma maculatum), was first described in 2004. we summarize the clinical and epidemiological features of 12 patients in the united states with confirmed or probable disease attributable to r. parkeri and comment on distinctions between r. parkeri rickettsiosis and other united states rickettsioses. | 2008 | 18808353 |
| borrelia carolinensis sp. nov., a new (14th) member of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex from the southeastern region of the united states. | approximately 118 borrelia isolates were cultured from a variety of rodents, birds, and ticks collected in the southern united states. in addition to a highly diverse group of borrelia bissettii strains and a homogenous group of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strains, a group of 16 isolates with unusual characteristics was found. the isolates were cultured from ear biopsy samples of the rodents peromyscus gossypinus and neotoma floridana trapped at five localities in south carolina. a multil ... | 2009 | 19020062 |
| exploring the mialome of ticks: an annotated catalogue of midgut transcripts from the hard tick, dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae). | ticks are obligate blood feeders. the midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. in this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ests) from cdna libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding. | 2008 | 19021911 |
| rickettsia parkeri in argentina. | clinical reports of an eschar-associated rickettsiosis in the paraná river delta of argentina prompted an evaluation of amblyomma triste ticks in this region. when evaluated by pcr, 17 (7.6%) of 223 questing adult a. triste ticks, collected from 2 sites in the lower paraná river delta, contained dna of rickettsia parkeri. | 2008 | 19046514 |
| new developments in canine hepatozoonosis in north america: a review. | abstract : canine hepatozoonosis is caused by hepatozoon canis and hepatozoon americanum, apicomplexan parasites transmitted to dogs by ingestion of infectious stages. although the two agents are phylogenetically related, specific aspects, including characteristics of clinical disease and the natural history of the parasites themselves, differ between the two species. until recently, h. canis infections had not been clearly documented in north america, and autochthonous infection with h. america ... | 2009 | 19426444 |
| genetic variation in 12s and 16s mitochondrial rdna genes of four geographically isolated populations of gulf coast ticks (acari: ixodidae). | single-strand conformation polymorphism (sscp) analysis was examined in a 303-bp region of the 16s and 12s mitochondrial rdna genes to study haplotype frequencies among populations of gulf coast ticks collected from refugio co., tx, payne co., ok, and two sites in osage co., ks. seven haplotypes were identified from the 16s rdna gene fragment, whereas only two haplotypes were detected from the 12s fragment. only the results from the 16s rdna fragment are discussed. haplotype diversity was greate ... | 2009 | 19496417 |
| alternate pathway of infection with hepatozoon americanum and the epidemiologic importance of predation. | the range of american canine hepatozoonosis (ach) is expanding from the southern usa northward. transmission of hepatozoon americanum occurs by ingestion of infected gulf coast ticks, amblyomma maculatum. the source of the protozoan for the tick remains undetermined; infected dogs are unusual hosts for the tick. | 2009 | 19709355 |
| directed evolution of a filamentous fungus for thermotolerance. | filamentous fungi are the most widely used eukaryotic biocatalysts in industrial and chemical applications. consequently, there is tremendous interest in methodology that can use the power of genetics to develop strains with improved performance. for example, metarhizium anisopliae is a broad host range entomopathogenic fungus currently under intensive investigation as a biologically based alternative to chemical pesticides. however, it use is limited by the relatively low tolerance of this spec ... | 2009 | 19709419 |
| efficacy of a topical ectoparasiticide containing dinotefuran, pyriproxyfen, and permethrin against amblyomma americanum (lone star tick) and amblyomma maculatum (gulf coast tick) on dogs. | amblyomma americanum (lone star tick) and amblyomma maculatum (gulf coast tick) are important disease vectors for both dogs and humans. this article describes two studies conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a new topical spot-on ectoparasiticide containing dinotefuran, permethrin, and pyriproxyfen (vectra 3d, summit vetpharm) against a. maculatum and a. americanum in dogs. dogs were treated on day 0 and infested on days -1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 with approximately 40 ticks each day. live tick coun ... | 2009 | 19742444 |
| rickettsia parkeri in amblyomma americanum ticks, tennessee and georgia, usa. | to determine the geographic distribution of the newly recognized human pathogen rickettsia parkeri, we looked for this organism in ticks from tennessee and georgia, usa. using pcr and sequence analysis, we identified r. parkeri in 2 amblyomma americanum ticks. this rickettsiosis may be underdiagnosed in the eastern united states. | 2009 | 19788817 |
| proteomic analysis of rickettsia parkeri strain portsmouth. | rickettsia parkeri, a recently recognized pathogen of human, is one of several rickettsia spp. in the united states that causes a spotted fever rickettsiosis. to gain insights into its biology and pathogenesis, we applied the proteomics approach to establish a two-dimensional gel proteome reference map and combined this technique with cell surface biotinylation to identify surface-exposed proteins of a low-passage isolate of r. parkeri obtained from a patient. we identified 91 proteins by matrix ... | 2009 | 19797064 |
| prevalence of ehrlichia chaffeensis and ehrlichia ewingii in ticks from tennessee. | human ehrlichiosis is the second most common tick-borne disease reported in tennessee after rocky mountain spotted fever. two closely related ehrlichiae, ehrlichia chaffeensis and ehrlichia ewingii, are both causative agents of human disease and are transmitted by amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick. prevalence rates and distribution patterns of these pathogens among ticks in tennessee are currently unknown. to understand prevalence and exposure risk of ehrlichia spp., we tested 616 ticks ( ... | 2010 | 19877819 |
| effects of photoperiod on reproduction, nymphal developmental timing, and diapause in amblyomma maculatum (acari: ixodidae). | female engorgement weight, oviposition, and molting times of larvae and nymphs of amblyomma maculatum koch (acari: ixodidae) were studied at various photoperiods under constant humidity and temperature in the laboratory. ticks were held at photoperiods of 0:24, 10:14, 12:12, or 14:10 (l:d) h from egg through unfed nymphal stage and then at either the same or a different regime from fed nymphs to adults. no significant effects were observed on oviposition, female engorgement weights, survival, or ... | 2009 | 19960673 |
| wide dispersal and possible multiple origins of low-copy-number plasmids in rickettsia species associated with blood-feeding arthropods. | plasmids are mobile genetic elements of bacteria that can impart important adaptive traits, such as increased virulence or antibiotic resistance. we report the existence of plasmids in rickettsia (rickettsiales; rickettsiaceae) species, including rickettsia akari, "candidatus rickettsia amblyommii," r. bellii, r. rhipicephali, and reis, the rickettsial endosymbiont of ixodes scapularis. all of the rickettsiae were isolated from humans or north and south american ticks. r. parkeri isolates from b ... | 2010 | 20097813 |
| endemic tickborne infectious diseases in louisiana and the gulf south. | most emerging infectious diseases today, such as west nile virus and sudden acute respiratory distress syndrome (sars), arise from zoonotic reservoirs and many are transmitted by arthropod vectors. ticks are among the most competent and versatile arthropod vectors of infectious diseases because ticks of all ages and both sexes remain infectious for generations without having to reacquire infections from reservoir hosts. today, ticks transmit the most common arthropod-borne infectious disease in ... | 2009 | 20108827 |
| detection of "candidatus rickettsia sp. strain argentina"and rickettsia bellii in amblyomma ticks (acari: ixodidae) from northern argentina. | ixodid ticks were collected from vegetation and from humans, wild and domestic mammals in a rural area in the semi-arid argentine chaco in late spring 2006 to evaluate their potential role as vectors of spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae. a total of 233 adult ticks, identified as amblyomma parvum, amblyomma tigrinum and amblyomma pseudoconcolor, was examined for rickettsia spp. we identified an sfg rickettsia of unknown pathogenicity, "candidatus rickettsia sp. strain argentina", in a. parvum ... | 2010 | 20186466 |
| isolation of rickettsia parkeri and identification of a novel spotted fever group rickettsia sp. from gulf coast ticks (amblyomma maculatum) in the united states. | until recently, amblyomma maculatum (the gulf coast tick) had garnered little attention compared to other species of human-biting ticks in the united states. a. maculatum is now recognized as the principal vector of rickettsia parkeri, a pathogenic spotted fever group rickettsia (sfgr) that causes an eschar-associated illness in humans that resembles rocky mountain spotted fever. a novel sfgr, distinct from other recognized rickettsia spp., has also been detected recently in a. maculatum specime ... | 2010 | 20208020 |
| ddt to control the gulf coast tick. | | 1947 | 20264487 |
| ddt to control the gulf coast tick. | | 1947 | 20271895 |
| novel technique for quantifying adhesion of metarhizium anisopliae conidia to the tick cuticle. | the present study describes an accurate quantitative method for quantifying the adherence of conidia to the arthropod cuticle and the dynamics of conidial germination on the host. the method was developed using conidia of metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae (metschn.) sorokin (hypocreales: clavicipitaceae) and engorged rhipicephalus annulatus (say) (arachnida: ixodidae) females and was also verified for m. anisopliae var. acridum driver et milner (hypocreales: clavicipitaceae) and alphitobius ... | 2010 | 20363785 |
| rickettsiae in gulf coast ticks, arkansas, usa. | to determine the cause of spotted fever cases in the southern united states, we screened gulf coast ticks (amblyomma maculatum) collected in arkansas for rickettsiae. of the screened ticks, 30% had pcr amplicons consistent with rickettsia parkeri or candidatus rickettsia amblyommii. | 2010 | 20409375 |
| rickettsia infection in dogs and rickettsia parkeri in amblyomma tigrinum ticks, cochabamba department, bolivia. | only few published data are available on ticks and tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in bolivia. to evaluate rickettsial seroprevalence and infection in dogs and ticks, during february-april 2007, we collected whole blood, sera, and ticks from dogs living in the rural, peri-urban, and urban areas of cochabamba, bolivia. dog sera were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test to detect igg antibodies against rickettsia rickettsii and 68.2% of samples were found to be positive (n = 30; 95% c ... | 2010 | 20426684 |
| host associations of dermacentor, amblyomma, and ixodes (acari: ixodidae) ticks in tennessee. | from april 2007 to september 2008, 1,793 adult and nymphal ixodid ticks were collected from 49 counties in tennessee. six species were identified, including dermacentor variabilis (say), amblyomma americanum (l.), ixodes texanus (banks), ixodes cookei packard, ixodes scapularis (say), and amblyomma maculatum koch, from 13 medium- to large-sized mammalian hosts and dragging through vegetation. raccoons were the most common vertebrate source (198 captures), accounting for 60% of ticks collected. d ... | 2010 | 20496589 |
| human ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. | human ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are acute febrile tick-borne diseases caused by various members of the genera ehrlichia and anaplasma (anaplasmataceae). human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis has become one of the most prevalent life-threatening tick-borne disease in the united states. ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are becoming more frequently diagnosed as the cause of human infections, as animal reservoirs and tick vectors have increased in number and humans have inhabited areas where reservoir ... | 2010 | 20513551 |
| host selection by questing female amblyomma maculatum koch, to cattle with feeding male ticks in southern texas. | the feeding associations among male and female gulf coast ticks, amblyomma maculatum koch, were examined using archived data obtained from untreated free-ranging cattle pastured on native rangeland. there was significant evidence of a relationship between male and female tick presence on hosts (p-value <0.0001), suggesting that a. maculatum females will more frequently be attracted and attach to grazing cattle with feeding males than those without. seasonal data were tested to develop prediction ... | 2010 | 20627588 |
| amblyomma triste (acari: ixodidae): new north american collection records, including the first from the united states. | new distribution records for the neotropical tick, amblyomma triste koch, are identified from 27 specimens in 18 separate collections. these collections originated from six now recognized geographical foci in two states in the united states (cochise and santa cruz counties, arizona, and brewster and jeff davis counties, texas) and from import cattle, bos taurus l., presented for entry at the united states border and originating in three mexican states (coahuila, durango, and sonora). for at leas ... | 2010 | 20695268 |
| absence of rickettsia rickettsii and occurrence of other spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks from tennessee. | rocky mountain spotted fever (rmsf) is the most common tick-borne illness in tennessee. little is known about the occurrence of r. rickettsii, the causative agent, in ticks in tennessee. to better understand the prevalence and distribution of rickettsial agents in ticks, we tested 1,265 amblyomma, dermacentor, and ixodes adult and nymphal ticks. additionally, we tested 231 amblyomma americanum larvae. ticks were collected from 49 counties from humans, wild animals, domestic canines, and flannel ... | 2010 | 20810834 |
| progress and obstacles in vaccine development for the ehrlichioses. | ehrlichia are tick-borne obligately intracellular bacteria that cause significant diseases in veterinary natural hosts, including livestock and companion animals, and are now considered important zoonotic pathogens in humans. vaccines are needed for these veterinary and zoonotic human pathogens, but many obstacles exist that have impeded their development. these obstacles include understanding genetic and antigenic variability, influence of the host on the pathogen phenotype and immunogenicity, ... | 2010 | 20822349 |
| cattle and the natural history of rickettsia parkeri in mississippi. | abstract cattle have been recognized as hosts for amblyomma maculatum, the gulf coast tick, for over 100 years. for nearly as long, a. maculatum have been known to harbor the spotted fever group rickettsia (sfgr), now known as rickettsia parkeri. however, human infection with r. parkeri was not documented until 2004. results presented herein describe a laboratory and a field study evaluating cattle and the natural history of a. maculatum and r. parkeri in mississippi. in the laboratory study, se ... | 2011 | 20846012 |
| molecular detection of persistent francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica in natural waters. | tularemia, caused by the bacterium francisella tularensis, where f. tularensis subspecies holarctica has long been the cause of endemic disease in parts of northern sweden. despite this, our understanding of the natural life-cycle of the organism is still limited. during three years, we collected surface water samples (n = 341) and sediment samples (n = 245) in two areas in sweden with endemic tularemia. real-time pcr screening demonstrated the presence of f. tularenis lpna sequences in 108 (32% ... | 2010 | 20885922 |
| the gulf coast tick: a review of the life history, ecology, distribution, and emergence as an arthropod of medical and veterinary importance. | the gulf coast tick, amblyomma maculatum koch (acari: ixodidae), is a unique univoltine ectoparasite of seven vertebrate host classes in the western hemisphere that is increasingly recognized as a pest of livestock and wildlife, a vector of pathogens to humans and canines, and a putative vector of ehrlichia ruminantium, the causal agent of heartwater, a fatal foreign animal disease of ruminants resident in the caribbean. this review assembles current and historical literature encompassing the bi ... | 2010 | 20939363 |
| ddt to control hornflies and gulf coast ticks on range cattle in florida. | | 1946 | 21024818 |
| infrequency of rickettsia rickettsii in dermacentor variabilis removed from humans, with comments on the role of other human-biting ticks associated with spotted fever group rickettsiae in the united states. | abstract from 1997 to 2009, the tick-borne disease laboratory of the u.s. army public health command (usaphc) (formerly the u.s. army center for health promotion and preventive medicine) screened 5286 dermacentor variabilis ticks removed from department of defense (dod) personnel, their dependents, and dod civilian personnel for spotted fever group rickettsiae using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. rickettsia montanensis (171/5286 = 3.2%) and ricke ... | 2010 | 21142953 |
| an acarologic survey and amblyomma americanum distribution map with implications for tularemia risk in missouri. | in the united states, tickborne diseases occur focally. missouri represents a major focus of several tickborne diseases that includes spotted fever rickettsiosis, tularemia, and ehrlichiosis. our study sought to determine the potential risk of human exposure to human-biting vector ticks in this area. we collected ticks in 79 sites in southern missouri during june 7-10, 2009, which yielded 1,047 adult and 3,585 nymphal amblyomma americanum, 5 adult amblyomma maculatum, 19 adult dermacentor variab ... | 2011 | 21363979 |
| the afhsc-division of geis operations predictive surveillance program: a multidisciplinary approach for the early detection and response to disease outbreaks. | the armed forces health surveillance center, division of global emerging infections surveillance and response system operations (afhsc-geis) initiated a coordinated, multidisciplinary program to link data sets and information derived from eco-climatic remote sensing activities, ecologic niche modeling, arthropod vector, animal disease-host/reservoir, and human disease surveillance for febrile illnesses, into a predictive surveillance program that generates advisories and alerts on emerging infec ... | 2011 | 21388561 |
| gotch ear in a goat: a case report. | abstract a 1-year-old castrated male saanen goat was observed to have drooping and edema of the left ear consistent with published accounts of gotch ear in cattle associated with a tick bite. the goat's left ear was edematous from the tip of the pinna to the base of the ear. no signs of trauma or infectious processes were observed. three engorged gulf coast ticks (amblyomma maculatum) were observed attached inside the ear. ticks were removed and the ear biopsied at tick attachment sites. the aff ... | 2011 | 21395411 |
| tick paralysis caused by amblyomma maculatum on the mexican pacific coast. | tick paralysis is a rare entity in which it is necessary to identify the cause and remove the arthropod to have a rapid remission of symptoms. in the absence of an early diagnosis, the outcome can be fatal, as toxins are released from the tick's saliva as it feeds. to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first clinical report of the disease in mexico and latin america. a 22-year-old man from a rural area, who was in contact with cattle, developed ascending flaccid paralysis secondary ... | 2011 | 21395426 |
| tick paralysis in australia caused by ixodes holocyclus neumann. | ticks are obligate haematophagous ectoparasites of various animals, including humans, and are abundant in temperate and tropical zones around the world. they are the most important vectors for the pathogens causing disease in livestock and second only to mosquitoes as vectors of pathogens causing human disease. ticks are formidable arachnids, capable of not only transmitting the pathogens involved in some infectious diseases but also of inducing allergies and causing toxicoses and paralysis, wit ... | 2011 | 21396246 |
| the immunopathology of canine vector-borne diseases. | abstract: the canine vector-borne infectious diseases (cvbds) are an emerging problem in veterinary medicine and the zoonotic potential of many of these agents is a significant consideration for human health. the successful diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these infections is dependent upon firm understanding of the underlying immunopathology of the diseases in which there are unique tripartite interactions between the microorganism, the vector and the host immune system. although signific ... | 2011 | 21489234 |
| transstadial transmission of francisella tularensis holarctica in mosquitoes, sweden. | in sweden, human cases of tularemia caused by francisella tularensis holarctica are assumed to be transmitted by mosquitoes, but how mosquito vectors acquire and transmit the bacterium is not clear. to determine how transmission of this bacterium occurs, mosquito larvae were collected in an area where tularemia is endemic, brought to the laboratory, and reared to adults in their original pond water. screening of adult mosquitoes by real-time pcr demonstrated f. tularensis lpna sequences in 14 of ... | 2011 | 21529386 |
| rickettsia parkeri in gulf coast ticks, southeastern virginia, usa. | we report evidence that amblyomma maculatum tick populations are well established in southeastern virginia. we found that 43.1% of the adult gulf coast ticks collected in the summer of 2010 carried rickettsia parkeri, suggesting that persons living in or visiting southeastern virginia are at risk for infection with this pathogen. | 2011 | 21529406 |
| perspectives on canine and feline hepatozoonosis. | two species of hepatozoon are currently known to infect dogs and cause distinct diseases. hepatozoon canis prevalent in africa, asia, southern europe, south america and recently shown to be present also in the usa causes infection mainly of hemolymphoid organs, whereas hepatozoon americanum prevalent in the southeastern usa causes myositis and severe lameness. h. americanum is transmitted by ingestion of the gulf coast tick amblyomma maculatum and also by predation on infected prey. h. canis is ... | 2011 | 21620568 |
| distribution of spotted fever group rickettsiae in select tissues of experimentally infected and field-collected gulf coast ticks. | salivary glands, midgut, malpighian tubules, and ovaries were dissected from infected, colony-derived amblyomma maculatum (gulf coast ticks) injected as nymphs with either rickettsia parkeri (a spotted fever group rickettsia [sfgr]; treatment) or phosphate-buffered saline (negative control). for comparison, similar tissues were dissected from hemolymph-positive, field-collected ticks. tissues were analyzed by indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) tests. all phosphate-buffered saline-injected ticks ... | 2011 | 21661331 |
| efficacy of a novel topical combination of fipronil, amitraz and (s)-methoprene for treatment and control of induced infestations with four north american tick species (dermacentor variabilis, ixodes scapularis, amblyomma americanum and amblyomma maculatum) on dogs. | five laboratory studies were conducted to confirm that a single topical dose of the novel combination of fipronil, amitraz and (s)-methoprene, certifect™ (merial limited, ga, usa), is efficacious for the rapid control of pre-existing infestations and the prevention of new infestations with ixodes scapularis, dermacentor variabilis, amblyomma americanum and amblyomma maculatum for at least 28 days on dogs. in each study, 8 male and 8 female purpose-bred, laboratory beagles were randomly assigned ... | 2011 | 21777734 |
| rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, argentina. | rickettsia parkeri, a recently identified cause of spotted fever rickettsiosis in the united states, has been found in amblyomma triste ticks in several countries of south america, including argentina, where it is believed to cause disease in humans. we describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of 2 patients in argentina with confirmed r. parkeri infection and 7 additional patients with suspected r. parkeri rickettsiosis identified at 1 hospital during 2004-2009. the frequency and ... | 2011 | 21762568 |
| gotch ear: a poorly described, local, pathologic condition of livestock associated primarily with the gulf coast tick, amblyomma maculatum. | gotch ear is a condition in animals in which the ear is swollen, deformed, curled, drooped, possibly necrotic, and is usually associated with attachment by the gulf coast tick, amblyomma maculatum. little is known of the etiology or epidemiology of gotch ear in livestock. reports generally describe the condition in cattle, but it has also been reported in horses and mules and more recently in a goat. this review explores the history and etymology of the term "gotch ear" and reports on current st ... | 2011 | 22047764 |
| Detection of Rickettsia parkeri and Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae in Amblyomma maculatum Gulf Coast Ticks Collected from Humans in the United States. | Abstract Rickettsia parkeri, a spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia recently found to be pathogenic to humans, causes an eschar-associated febrile illness. The R. parkeri rickettsiosis, Tidewater spotted fever, has been misdiagnosed as Rocky Mountain spotted fever due to serologic cross reactivity and the lack of specific diagnostic methods. Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae, also a SFG rickettsia, is a recently described agent of unknown pathogenicity originally identified in ticks collected fro ... | 2011 | 22022815 |
| in vitro propagation of candidatus rickettsia andeanae isolated from amblyomma maculatum. | candidatus rickettsia andeanae was identified during an investigation of a febrile outbreak in northwestern peru (2002). dna sequencing from two ticks (amblyomma maculatum, ixodes boliviensis) collected during the investigation revealed a novel rickettsia agent with similarity to the spotted fever group rickettsiae. since then, candidatus r. andeanae has been detected in a. maculatum ticks collected in the southeastern and southcentral united states, argentina, and peru. to date, candidatus r. a ... | 2011 | 22098316 |
| high rates of rickettsia parkeri infection in gulf coast ticks (amblyomma maculatum) and identification of "candidatus rickettsia andeanae" from fairfax county, virginia. | the gulf coast tick, amblyomma maculatum, is a vector of rickettsia parkeri, a recently identified human pathogen that causes a disease with clinical symptoms that resemble a mild form of rocky mountain spotted fever. because the prevalence of r. parkeri infection in geographically distinct populations of a. maculatum is not fully understood, a. maculatum specimens collected as part of a tick and pathogen surveillance system in fairfax county, virginia, were screened to determine pathogen infect ... | 2011 | 21867421 |
| Infection prevalences of common tick-borne pathogens in adult lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) and American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) in Kentucky. | Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis are tick-borne diseases that are reported annually in Kentucky. We conducted a survey to describe infection prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected in Kentucky. During 2007-2008, we collected 287 ticks (179 D. variabilis and 108 A. americanum) from canine, feral hog, horse, raccoon, white-tailed deer, and human hosts in six counties in Kentucky. Ticks were screened for Ricke ... | 2011 | 21976578 |
| rickettsia parkeri in amblyomma maculatum ticks, north carolina, usa, 2009-2010. | we detected rickettsia parkeri in 20%-33% of amblyomma maculatum ticks sampled in north carolina. results highlight the high frequencies of r. parkeri-infected ticks in the state with the highest annual incidence of rocky mountain spotted fever. epidemiologic studies are needed to definitively link r. parkeri to cases of spotted fever rickettsiosis. | 2011 | 22172164 |
| evolution, expansion and expression of the kunitz/bpti gene family associated with long-term blood feeding in ixodes scapularis. | abstract: background: recent studies of the tick saliva transcriptome have revealed the profound role of salivary proteins in blood feeding. kunitz/bpti proteins are abundant in the salivary glands of ticks and perform multiple functions in blood feeding, such as inhibiting blood coagulation, regulating host blood supply and disrupting host angiogenesis. however, kunitz/bpti proteins in soft and hard ticks have different functions and molecular mechanisms. how these differences emerged and whet ... | 2012 | 22244187 |
| a deep insight into the sialotranscriptome of the gulf coast tick, amblyomma maculatum. | saliva of blood sucking arthropods contains compounds that antagonize their hosts' hemostasis, which include platelet aggregation, vasoconstriction and blood clotting; saliva of these organisms also has anti-inflammatory and immunomodullatory properties. perhaps because hosts mount an active immune response against these compounds, the diversity of these compounds is large even among related blood sucking species. because of these properties, saliva helps blood feeding as well as help the establ ... | 2011 | 22216098 |
| choice of a stable set of reference genes for qrt-pcr analysis in amblyomma maculatum (acari: ixodidae). | quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qrt-pcr) is a widely used laboratory tool to quantify mrna levels of target genes involved in various biological processes. the most commonly used method for analyzing qrt-pcr data are the normalizing technique where a housekeeping gene is used to determine the transcriptional regulation of the target gene. the choice of a reliable internal standard is pivotal for relative gene expression analysis to obtain reproducible resu ... | 2012 | 23270161 |
| meeting the challenges of on-host and off-host water balance in blood-feeding arthropods. | in this review, we describe water balance requirements of blood-feeding arthropods, particularly contrasting dehydration tolerance during the unfed, off-host state and the challenges of excess water that accompany receipt of the bloodmeal. most basic water balance characteristics during the off-host stage are applicable to other terrestrial arthropods, as well. a well-coordinated suite of responses enable arthropods to conserve water resources, enhance their desiccation tolerance, and increase t ... | 2010 | 20206630 |
| bioinformatics and expression analyses of the ixodes scapularis tick cystatin family. | the cystatins are inhibitors of papain- and legumain-like cysteine proteinases, classified in merops subfamilies i25a-i25c. this study shows that 84 % (42/50) of tick cystatins are putatively extracellular in subfamily i25b and the rest are putatively intracellular in subfamily i25a. on the neighbor joining phylogeny guide tree, subfamily i25a members cluster together, while subfamily i25b cystatins segregate among prostriata or metastriata ticks. two ixodes scapularis cystatins, aay66864 and is ... | 2012 | 23053911 |
| analysis of babesia bovis infection-induced gene expression changes in larvae from the cattle tick, rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus. | cattle babesiosis is a tick-borne disease of cattle that has severe economic impact on cattle producers throughout the world's tropical and subtropical countries. the most severe form of the disease is caused by the apicomplexan, babesia bovis, and transmitted to cattle through the bite of infected cattle ticks of the genus rhipicephalus, with the most prevalent species being rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus. we studied the reaction of the r. microplus larval transcriptome in response to infe ... | 2012 | 22871314 |
| survey of borreliae in ticks, canines, and white-tailed deer from arkansas, u.s.a. | in the eastern and upper midwestern regions of north america, ixodes scapularis (l.) is the most abundant tick species encountered by humans and the primary vector of b. burgdorferi, whereas in the southeastern region amblyomma americanum (say) is the most abundant tick species encountered by humans but cannot transmit b. burgdorferi. surveys of borreliae in ticks have been conducted in the southeastern united states and often these surveys identify b. lonestari as the primary borrelia species, ... | 2012 | 22781030 |
| co2 flagging - an improved method for the collection of questing ticks. | most epidemiological studies on tick-borne pathogens involve collection of ticks from the environment. an efficient collection method is essential for large sample pools. our main aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a new method, where traditional flagging was enhanced by the use of co2 dispersed into the white flannel. the co2 was spread through a rubber hose network inserted into the flag blanket. the research was conducted in spring, in march-april 2011 in two locations from cluj county, roma ... | 2012 | 22720872 |
| knockdown of selenocysteine-specific elongation factor in amblyomma maculatum alters the pathogen burden of rickettsia parkeri with epigenetic control by the sin3 histone deacetylase corepressor complex. | selenocysteine is the 21st naturally-occurring amino acid. selenoproteins have diverse functions and many remain uncharacterized, but they are typically associated with antioxidant activity. the incorporation of selenocysteine into the nascent polypeptide chain recodes the tga stop codon and this process depends upon a number of essential factors including the selenocysteine elongation factor (sef). the transcriptional expression of sef did not change significantly in tick midguts throughout the ... | 2013 | 24282621 |
| ticks and spotted fever group rickettsiae of southeastern virginia. | the incidence of tick-borne rickettsial disease in the southeastern united states has been rising steadily through the past decade, and the range expansions of tick species and tick-borne infectious agents, new and old, has resulted in an unprecedented mix of vectors and pathogens. the results of an ongoing 4-year surveillance project describe the relative abundance of questing tick populations in southeastern virginia. since 2009, more than 66,000 questing ticks of 7 species have been collected ... | 2013 | 24201057 |
| single-tube real-time pcr assay for differentiation of ixodes affinis and ixodes scapularis. | ixodes affinis neumann (1899) and ixodes scapularis say (1821) are tick vectors of the etiologic agent of lyme disease, borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. ixodes affinis and i. scapularis are morphologically very similar, and as they are sympatric in the mid- and south-atlantic u.s. coastal states, their accurate identification is crucial to studies of disease and vector ecology in this area. this work describes a rapid, single-tube sybr(®) green-based real-time pcr assay for differentiation of ... | 2013 | 24192510 |
| the ovarian transcriptome of the cattle tick, rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus, feeding upon a bovine host infected with babesia bovis. | cattle babesiosis is a tick-borne disease of cattle with the most severe form of the disease caused by the apicomplexan, babesia bovis. babesiosis is transmitted to cattle through the bite of infected cattle ticks of the genus rhipicephalus. the most prevalent species is rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus, which is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical countries of the world. the transmission of b. bovis is transovarian and a previous study of the r. microplus ovarian proteome ide ... | 2013 | 24330595 |
| what is the risk for exposure to vector-borne pathogens in united states national parks? | united states national parks attract > 275 million visitors annually and collectively present risk of exposure for staff and visitors to a wide range of arthropod vector species (most notably fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks) and their associated bacterial, protozoan, or viral pathogens. we assessed the current state of knowledge for risk of exposure to vector-borne pathogens in national parks through a review of relevant literature, including internal national park service documents and organismal ... | 2013 | 23540107 |
| detection of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto ospc alleles associated with human lyme borreliosis worldwide in non-human-biting tick ixodes affinis and rodent hosts in southeastern united states. | comparative analysis of ospc genes from 127 borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strains collected in european and north american regions where lyme disease is endemic and where it is not endemic revealed a close relatedness of geographically distinct populations. ospc alleles a, b, and l were detected on both continents in vectors and hosts, including humans. six ospc alleles, a, b, l, q, r, and v, were prevalent in europe; 4 of them were detected in samples of human origin. ten ospc alleles, a, ... | 2013 | 23263953 |
| detection of human bacterial pathogens in ticks collected from louisiana black bears (ursus americanus luteolus). | there are 4 major human-biting tick species in the northeastern united states, which include: amblyomma americanum, amblyomma maculatum, dermacentor variabilis, and ixodes scapularis. the black bear is a large mammal that has been shown to be parasitized by all the aforementioned ticks. we investigated the bacterial infections in ticks collected from louisiana black bears (ursus americanus subspecies luteolus). eighty-six ticks were collected from 17 black bears in louisiana from june 2010 to ma ... | 2013 | 23415850 |
| population-based passive tick surveillance and detection of expanding foci of blacklegged ticks ixodes scapularis and the lyme disease agent borrelia burgdorferi in ontario, canada. | we identified ticks submitted by the public from 2008 through 2012 in ontario, canada, and tested blacklegged ticks ixodes scapularis for borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum. among the 18 species of ticks identified, i. scapularis, dermacentor variabilis, ixodes cookei and amblyomma americanum represented 98.1% of the 14,369 ticks submitted. rates of blacklegged tick submission per 100,000 population were highest in ontario's eastern region; d. variabilis in central west and easte ... | 2014 | 25171252 |
| irspi, a tick serine protease inhibitor involved in tick feeding and bartonella henselae infection. | ixodes ricinus is the most widespread and abundant tick in europe, frequently bites humans, and is the vector of several pathogens including those responsible for lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and bartonellosis. these tick-borne pathogens are transmitted to vertebrate hosts via tick saliva during blood feeding, and tick salivary gland (sg) factors are likely implicated in transmission. in order to identify such tick factors, we characterized the transcriptome of ... | 2014 | 25057911 |
| feeding by amblyomma maculatum (acari: ixodidae) enhances rickettsia parkeri (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) infection in the skin. | rickettsia parkeri luckman (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae), a member of the spotted fever group of rickettsia, is the tick-borne causative agent of a newly recognized, eschar-associated rickettsiosis. because of its relatively recent designation as a pathogen, few studies have examined the pathogenesis of transmission of r. parkeri to the vertebrate host. to further elucidate the role of tick feeding in rickettsial infection of vertebrates, nymphal amblyomma maculatum koch (acari: ixodidae) were ... | 2014 | 25118419 |
| a 24-48 h fed amblyomma americanum tick saliva immuno-proteome. | multiple tick saliva proteins, the majority of which are unknown, confer tick resistance in repeatedly infested animals. the objective of this study was to identify the 24-48 h fed amblyomma americanum tick saliva immuno-proteome. the 24-48 h tick-feeding phase is critical to tick parasitism as it precedes important events in tick biology, blood meal feeding and disease agent transmission. fed male, 24 and 96 h fed female phage display cdna expression libraries were biopanned using rabbit antibo ... | 2014 | 24962723 |
| detection of a borrelia species in questing gulf coast ticks, amblyomma maculatum. | borrelia spp. are agents of lyme disease and relapsing fever, diseases which use ixodes hard ticks and ornithodoros soft ticks, respectively, as primary vectors. some relapsing fever spirochetes, such as b. miyamotoi, are also found in hard ticks. to date, no borrelia sp. is known to use the hard tick, amblyomma maculatum, as a vector. however, both b. burgdorferi and b. lonestari were recently detected in a. maculatum removed from hosts. in our study, dna extracts from 306 questing adult a. mac ... | 2014 | 24844970 |
| transcriptional activation of antioxidants may compensate for selenoprotein deficiencies in amblyomma maculatum (acari: ixodidae) injected with selk- or selm-dsrna. | the gulf-coast tick, amblyomma maculatum, possesses an elaborate set of selenoproteins, which prevent the deleterious effects from oxidative stress that would otherwise occur during feeding. in the current work, we examined the role of selenoprotein k (selk) and selenoprotein m (selm) in feeding a. maculatum by bioinformatics, transcriptional gene expression, rna interference and antioxidant assays. the transcriptional expression of selk did not vary significantly in salivary glands or midguts t ... | 2014 | 24698418 |
| comparative bioinformatics, temporal and spatial expression analyses of ixodes scapularis organic anion transporting polypeptides. | organic anion-transporting polypeptides (oatps) are an integral part of the detoxification mechanism in vertebrates and invertebrates. these cell surface proteins are involved in mediating the sodium-independent uptake and/or distribution of a broad array of organic amphipathic compounds and xenobiotic drugs. this study describes bioinformatics and biological characterization of 9 oatp sequences in the ixodes scapularis genome. these sequences have been annotated on the basis of 12 transmembrane ... | 2014 | 24582512 |
| insecticide/acaricide resistance in fleas and ticks infesting dogs and cats. | this review defines insecticide/acaricide resistance and describes the history, evolution, types, mechanisms, and detection of resistance as it applies to chemicals currently used against fleas and ticks of dogs and cats and summarizes resistance reported to date. we introduce the concept of refugia as it applies to flea and tick resistance and discuss strategies to minimize the impact and inevitable onset of resistance to newer classes of insecticides. our purpose is to provide the veterinary p ... | 2014 | 24393426 |
| laboratory identification of arthropod ectoparasites. | the collection, handling, identification, and reporting of ectoparasitic arthropods in clinical and reference diagnostic laboratories are discussed in this review. included are data on ticks, mites, lice, fleas, myiasis-causing flies, and bed bugs. the public health importance of these organisms is briefly discussed. the focus is on the morphological identification and proper handling and reporting of cases involving arthropod ectoparasites, particularly those encountered in the united states. o ... | 2014 | 24396136 |
| habitat and vegetation variables are not enough when predicting tick populations in the southeastern united states. | two tick-borne diseases with expanding case and vector distributions are ehrlichiosis (transmitted by amblyomma americanum) and rickettiosis (transmitted by a. maculatum and dermacentor variabilis). there is a critical need to identify the specific habitats where each of these species is likely to be encountered to classify and pinpoint risk areas. consequently, an in-depth tick prevalence study was conducted on the dominant ticks in the southeast. vegetation, soil, and remote sensing data were ... | 2015 | 26656122 |
| avian migrants facilitate invasions of neotropical ticks and tick-borne pathogens into the united states. | migratory birds have the potential to transport exotic vectors and pathogens of human and animal health importance across vast distances. we systematically examined birds that recently migrated to the united states from the neotropics for ticks. we screened both ticks and birds for tick-borne pathogens, including rickettsia species and borrelia burgdorferi. over two spring seasons (2013 and 2014), 3.56% of birds (n = 3,844) representing 42.35% of the species examined (n = 85) were infested by ti ... | 2015 | 26431964 |
| comparative population genetics of two invading ticks: evidence of the ecological mechanisms underlying tick range expansions. | two species of ixodid tick, ixodes affinis neumann and amblyomma maculatum koch, are simultaneously expanding their ranges throughout the mid-atlantic region of the us. although we have some understanding of the ecology and life history of these species, the ecological mechanisms governing where and how new populations establish and persist are unclear. to assess population connectivity and ancestry, we sequenced a fragment of the 16s mitochondrial rrna gene from a representative sample of indiv ... | 2015 | 26254575 |
| modulation of host immunity by tick saliva. | next generation sequencing and proteomics have helped to comprehensively characterize gene expression in tick salivary glands at both the transcriptome and the proteome level. functional data are, however, lacking. given that tick salivary secretions are critical to the success of the tick transmission lifecycle and, as a consequence, for host colonization by the pathogens they spread, we thoroughly review here the literature on the known interactions between tick saliva (or tick salivary gland ... | 2015 | 26189360 |
| an insight into the functional role of thioredoxin reductase, a selenoprotein, in maintaining normal native microbiota in the gulf coast tick (amblyomma maculatum). | tick selenoproteins have been associated with antioxidant activity in ticks. thioredoxin reductase (trxr), also a selenoprotein, belongs to the pyridine nucleotide-disulphide oxidoreductase family of proteins and is an important antioxidant. molecular interactions between native microbiota and tick hosts have barely been investigated to date. in this study, we determined the functional role of trxr in tick feeding and in maintenance of the native microbial community. trxr transcript levels remai ... | 2015 | 26184979 |
| conserved amblyomma americanum tick serpin19, an inhibitor of blood clotting factors xa and xia, trypsin and plasmin, has anti-haemostatic functions. | tick saliva serine protease inhibitors (serpins) facilitate tick blood meal feeding through inhibition of protease mediators of host defense pathways. we previously identified a highly conserved amblyomma americanum serpin 19 that is characterised by its reactive center loop being 100% conserved in ixodid ticks. in this study, biochemical characterisation reveals that the ubiquitously transcribed a. americanum serpin 19 is an anti-coagulant protein, inhibiting the activity of five of the eight s ... | 2015 | 25957161 |
| tick microbiome: the force within. | ticks are obligate blood-feeders and serve as vectors of human and livestock pathogens worldwide. defining the tick microbiome and deciphering the interactions between the tick and its symbiotic bacteria in the context of tick development and pathogen transmission will likely reveal new insights and spawn new paradigms to control tick-borne diseases. descriptive observations on the tick microbiome that began almost a century ago serve as forerunners to the gathering momentum to define the tick m ... | 2015 | 25936226 |
| vector potential and population dynamics for amblyomma inornatum. | we studied the natural life cycle of amblyomma inornatum and its vector potential in south texas. this tick is distributed throughout south texas and most of central america. a. inornatum represented 1.91% of the ticks collected by carbon dioxide traps during a study of free-living ticks in the tamaulipan biotic province in south texas. the life cycle of a. inornatum in south texas showed a clear seasonal pattern consistent with one generation per year. nymphs emerged in the spring with a peak i ... | 2015 | 25881916 |
| identification of 24h ixodes scapularis immunogenic tick saliva proteins. | ixodes scapularis is arguably the most medically important tick species in the united states. this tick transmits 5 of the 14 human tick-borne disease (tbd) agents in the usa: borrelia burgdorferi, anaplasma phagocytophilum, b. miyamotoi, babesia microti, and powassan virus disease. except for the powassan virus disease, i. scapularis-vectored tbd agents require more than 24h post attachment to be transmitted. this study describes identification of 24h immunogenic i. scapularis tick saliva prote ... | 2015 | 25825233 |
| canine vector-borne infections in mauritius. | canine vector-borne diseases have a worldwide distribution, but to the best of our knowledge, no research has been carried out to evaluate their presence on the indian ocean island of mauritius. an investigation into canine vector-borne infections was conducted in dogs (n = 78) resident at an animal shelter in port louis, mauritius using a combination of traditional microscopy and serological methods. | 2015 | 25889893 |
| sexual differences in the sialomes of the zebra tick, rhipicephalus pulchellus. | ticks rely exclusively on vertebrate blood for their survival. during feeding ticks inject into their hosts a sophisticated salivary potion that overcomes host hemostasis and adverse inflammatory responses. these mediators may also enhance pathogen transmission. knowledge of the tick salivary protein repertoire may lead to vaccine targets to disrupt feeding and/or parasite transmission as well as to the discovery of novel pharmacological agents. male saliva may also assist reproduction because m ... | 2015 | 25576852 |
| rickettsia parkeri colonization in amblyomma maculatum: the role of superoxide dismutases. | the gulf coast tick (amblyomma maculatum) is an arthropod vector of rickettsia parkeri, the causative agent of american boutonneuse fever and an infectious agent of public health significance. in this study, we evaluated the biological significance of the superoxide dismutases (sods) of a. maculatum in hematophagy and r. parkeri colonization within the tick host. | 2016 | 27206371 |
| novel spotted fever group rickettsiae in haemaphysalis qinghaiensis ticks from gansu, northwest china. | rickettsia spp. are obligate intracellular bacteria and well known as transmitted by arthropods. these pathogens have a broad geographic distribution and a high degree of biological and clinical diversity. this study was conducted to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from gansu, where borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and anaplasma phagocytophilum were previously reported in ticks and ruminants. | 2016 | 26968160 |
| update on canine and feline blood donor screening for blood-borne pathogens. | an update on the 2005 american college of veterinary internal medicine (acvim) consensus statement on blood donor infectious disease screening was presented at the 2015 acvim forum in indianapolis, indiana, followed by panel and audience discussion. the updated consensus statement is presented below. the consensus statement aims to provide guidance on appropriate blood-borne pathogen testing for canine and feline blood donors in north america. | 2016 | 26806261 |
| a 60-year meta-analysis of tick paralysis in the united states: a predictable, preventable, and often misdiagnosed poisoning. | tick paralysis (tp) is a neurotoxic poisoning primarily afflicting young girls in endemic regions. recent case series of tp have described increasing misdiagnoses of tp as the guillain-barré syndrome (gbs). a meta-analysis of the scientific literature was conducted using internet search engines to assess the evolving epidemiology of tp. fifty well-documented cases of tp were analyzed over the period 1946-2006. cases were stratified by demographics, clinical manifestations, and outcomes. misdiagn ... | 2010 | 20186584 |
| episodes of horizontal gene-transfer and gene-fusion led to co-existence of different metal-ion specific glyoxalase i. | glyoxalase pathway plays an important role in stress adaptation and many clinical disorders. the first enzyme of this pathway, glyoxalase i (glxi), uses methylglyoxal as a substrate and requires either ni(ii)/co(ii) or zn(ii) for activity. here we have investigated the origin of different metal ion specificities of glxi and subsequent pattern of inheritance during evolution. our results suggest a primitive origin of single-domain ni dependent glxi [ni-glxi]. this subsequently evolved into zn act ... | 2013 | 24220130 |
| recent molecular insights into rickettsial pathogenesis and immunity. | human infections with arthropod-borne rickettsia species remain a major global health issue, causing significant morbidity and mortality. epidemic typhus due to rickettsia prowazekii has an established reputation as the 'scourge of armies', and as a major determinant of significant 'historical turning points'. no suitable vaccines for human use are currently available to prevent rickettsial diseases. the unique lifestyle features of rickettsiae include obligate intracellular parasitism, intracyt ... | 2013 | 24059918 |
| identification of endosymbionts in ticks by broad-range polymerase chain reaction and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. | many organisms, such as insects, filarial nematodes, and ticks, contain heritable bacterial endosymbionts that are often closely related to transmissible tickborne pathogens. these intracellular bacteria are sometimes unique to the host species, presumably due to isolation and genetic drift. we used a polymerase chain reaction/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry assay designed to detect a wide range of vectorborne microorganisms to characterize endosymbiont genetic signatures from amblyomm ... | 2012 | 22897044 |
| amblyomma americanum tick saliva serine protease inhibitor 6 is a cross-class inhibitor of serine proteases and papain-like cysteine proteases that delays plasma clotting and inhibits platelet aggregation. | we previously demonstrated that amblyomma americanum tick serine protease inhibitor 6 (aams6) was secreted into the host during tick feeding and that both its mrna and protein were ubiquitously and highly expressed during the first 3 days of tick feeding. this study demonstrates that aams6 is a cross-class inhibitor of both serine- and papain-like cysteine proteases that has apparent antihaemostatic functions. consistent with the typical inhibitory serpin characteristics, enzyme kinetics analyse ... | 2013 | 23521000 |
| dual silencing of long and short amblyomma americanum acidic chitinase forms weakens the tick cement cone stability. | this study demonstrates that amblyomma americanum (aam) constitutively and ubiquitously expresses the long (l) and short (s) putative acidic chitinases (ach) that are distinguished by a 210 base pair (bp) deletion in aamach-s. full-length aamach-l and aamach-s cdna are 1959 and 1718 bp long, containing 1332 and 1104 bp open reading frames that code for 443 and 367 amino acid residues proteins with the former predicted to be extracellular and the latter intracellular. both aamach-l and aamach-s m ... | 2014 | 25189365 |
| bioinformatic analyses of male and female amblyomma americanum tick expressed serine protease inhibitors (serpins). | serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are a diverse family of proteins that is conserved across taxa. the diversity of amblyomma americanum serpins (aas) is far more complex than previously thought as revealed by discovery of 57 and 33 aas transcripts that are respectively expressed in male and female a. americanum ticks, with 30 found in both. while distinct reproductively, both male and female metastriate ticks, such as a. americanum, require a blood meal. thus, 30 aas sequences found in both m ... | 2014 | 25238688 |
| detection of rickettsia rickettsii, rickettsia parkeri, and rickettsia akari in skin biopsy specimens using a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. | rickettsia rickettsii, rickettsia parkeri, and rickettsia akari are the most common causes of spotted fever group rickettsioses indigenous to the united states. infected patients characteristically present with a maculopapular rash, often accompanied by an inoculation eschar. skin biopsy specimens are often obtained from these lesions for diagnostic evaluation. however, a species-specific diagnosis is achieved infrequently from pathologic specimens because immunohistochemical stains do not diffe ... | 2014 | 24829214 |
| a systems biology approach to the characterization of stress response in dermacentor reticulatus tick unfed larvae. | dermacentor reticulatus (fabricius, 1794) is distributed in europe and asia where it infests and transmits disease-causing pathogens to humans, pets and other domestic and wild animals. however, despite its role as a vector of emerging or re-emerging diseases, very little information is available on the genome, transcriptome and proteome of d. reticulatus. tick larvae are the first developmental stage to infest hosts, acquire infection and transmit pathogens that are transovarially transmitted a ... | 2014 | 24586875 |