Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dana C. Price, Julia R. Brennan, Nicole E. Wagner, Andrea M. Egizi
Summary: This study used Shotgun metagenome sequencing to compare the hologenome data from two tick samples collected within a single US county, and found intriguing variants in the data between the two sites. Despite the overall similarity in microbial species between the two samples, interesting polymorphisms were detected.
Article
Entomology
Cody J. Thorpe, Xin-Ru Wang, Ulrike G. Munderloh, Timothy J. Kurtti
Summary: The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, harbors an endosymbiont Rickettsia buchneri sensu stricto, largely restricted in the ovaries, with varying presence in different life stages. The endosymbiont can be cultivated in cell lines, with slow growth dynamics observed in ticks. Strong positive signals of R. buchneri were observed in ovaries and around developing oocytes, reinforcing its role as a transovarially transmitted, non-pathogenic endosymbiont.
Article
Entomology
James C. Burtis, Jenna Bjork, Tammi L. Johnson, Elizabeth Schiffman, David Neitzel, Rebecca J. Eisen
Summary: Ixodes scapularis, the primary vector of Lyme disease, poses a threat to public health in the United States. The incidence of Lyme disease is increasing rapidly in upper midwestern states, such as Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The phenology of host-seeking I. scapularis affects the risk of tick bites. We conducted a study in Minnesota from 2015 to 2017 and found that adult ticks were active throughout the collection season, with peaks in April and sporadic activity in the summer and October. Nymphs were most active from May to August, with peak activity in June. These findings highlight the risk of human exposure to I. scapularis from April to November and are important for understanding the ecoepidemiology of Lyme disease.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Susan P. Elias, Jack W. Witham, Elizabeth F. Schneider, Peter W. Rand, Malcolm L. Hunter, Charles Lubelczyk, Robert P. Smith
Summary: Surveillance of blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease is crucial in the United States. Tracking their emergence and spread was done through collecting ticks from small mammal hosts in a research forest in Maine, revealing important patterns and trends.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
F. Keesing, D. J. McHenry, M. H. Hersh, R. S. Ostfeld
Summary: The study found a low overall infection rate of Borrelia miyamotoi in ticks in Dutchess County, New York, but individual sites could have higher rates. Transovarial transmission remains a possible route of infection. Ticks feeding on short-tailed shrews, red squirrels, and opossums tended to have higher infection rates.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Vikas Taank, Frank A. Lattanzio, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Summary: This study reports the presence of two anuses in a laboratory-reared I. scapularis nymph, confirming the rare occurrence of double anus in this species.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Susan P. Elias, Allison M. Gardner, Kirk A. Maasch, Sean D. Birkel, Norman T. Anderson, Peter W. Rand, Charles B. Lubelczyk, Robert P. Smith
Summary: The geographical expansion of blacklegged tick populations in the United States is influenced by factors such as reforestation, urbanization, increasing deer populations, and climate change. Maine serves as a case study to demonstrate the interactions between deer density and seasonal climate on the distribution of blacklegged ticks. The study found that blacklegged tick nymph abundance is associated with both deer density and winter temperatures.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chantal B. F. Vogels, Doug E. Brackney, Alan P. Dupuis Ii, Rebecca M. Robich, Joseph R. Fauver, Anderson F. Brito, Scott C. Williams, John F. Anderson, Charles B. Lubelczyk, Rachel E. Lange, Melissa A. Prusinski, Laura D. Kramer, Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann, Laura B. Goodman, Guy Baele, Robert P. Smith, Philip M. Armstrong, Alexander T. Ciota, Simon Dellicour, Nathan D. Grubaugh
Summary: This study investigated the transmission patterns and ecology of Powassan virus, an emerging tick-borne virus. It was found that the virus is mainly transmitted by ticks and has a highly focal geographical distribution. The study also revealed a slowing down of virus spread in recent years, possibly due to the expansion of white-tailed deer and Ixodes scapularis tick populations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Erin A. Hunt, Sarah Schwartz, Nicole Chinnici
Summary: Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife, particularly ticks, is crucial for public health. This study tested blacklegged ticks from Pennsylvania for the virus but found no positive results. However, further testing for COVID-19 in blacklegged ticks is recommended.
Article
Ecology
Kylie D. Green, Hannah S. Tiffin, Jessica E. Brown, Edwin R. Burgess, Erika T. Machtinger
Summary: Tick control tubes are a host-targeted tick control method, but their effectiveness varies and may be influenced by rodent visitation. This study evaluated small mammal use of tick control tube cotton and found that the season was a key factor in mouse use of cotton.
Article
Entomology
Megan C. Dyer, Matthew D. Requintina, Kathryn A. Berger, Gavino Puggioni, Thomas N. Mather
Summary: This study evaluated the knockdown and residual activity of 10 minimal risk natural products and two bifenthrin labels against host-seeking nymphal Ixodes scapularis Say. Results showed that only nootkatone and a few natural products exhibited significant tick-killing effects, while botanical oil-based products with the same active ingredients provided inconsistent results across multiple testing.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Andrew Nuss, Arvind Sharma, Monika Gulia-Nuss
Summary: Ticks are obligate blood-sucking arthropods that are important vectors of pathogens affecting humans and animals worldwide. Despite the growing burden of tick-borne diseases, research on ticks has lagged due to challenges in applying genetic tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9, for stable genetic transformations. Successful germline editing with CRISPR-Cas9 in ticks has yet to be achieved.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christine E. Conte, Jessica E. Leahy, Allison M. Gardner
Summary: Active forest management, including timber harvests, can influence tick density and infection prevalence in forests. Recent harvesting was found to reduce nymphal and adult blacklegged tick presence, alter understory microclimate conditions, and decrease capture rates of small mammal species parasitized by immature ticks. Harvesting may offer sustainable tools to inhibit entomological risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens.
Review
Immunology
Jannelle Couret, Samantha Schofield, Sukanya Narasimhan
Summary: This review focuses on environmental factors that influence tick biology and tick-pathogen interactions, highlighting the impact of temperature, humidity, and environmental microbiota on tick parasitism and the transmission of tick-borne diseases.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Benjamin Cull, Nicole Y. Burkhardt, Xin-Ru Wang, Cody J. Thorpe, Jonathan D. Oliver, Timothy J. Kurtti, Ulrike G. Munderloh
Summary: This study found that the endosymbiont Rickettsia buchneri in ticks can inhibit the infection and replication of tick-borne pathogens. The presence of R. buchneri was observed to reduce the growth of R. parkeri by a significant percentage in tick cells. This research suggests a potential role of R. buchneri in preventing other rickettsiae from colonizing ticks and being transmitted transovarially, which could have important implications for understanding rickettsial competition and vector competence.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)