How to translate text using browser tools
22 October 2016 Rickettsia parkeri and “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae” in Questing Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) From Mississippi
J. K. Lee, G. M. Moraru, J. V. Stokes, R. W. Wills, E. Mitchell, E. Unz, B. Moore-Henderson, A. B. Harper, A. S. Varela-Stokes
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Amblyomma maculatum Koch (Acari: Ixodidae), the primary vector for Rickettsia parkeri, may also be infected with a rickettsia of unknown pathogenicity, “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae.” Infection rates with these rickettsiae vary geographically, and coinfected ticks have been reported. In this study, infection rates of R. parkeri and “Ca. R. andeanae” were evaluated, and rickettsial DNA levels quantified, in 335 questing adult A. maculatum collected in 2013 (n = 95), 2014 (n = 139), and 2015 (n = 101) from Oktibbeha County, MS. Overall infection rates of R. parkeri and “Ca. R. andeanae” were 28.7% and 9.3%, respectively, with three additional A. maculatum (0.9%) coinfected. While R. parkeri-infected ticks were detected all three years (34.7% in 2013; 13.7% in 2014; 43.6% in 2015), “Ca. R. andeanae” was not detected in 2013, and was detected at rates of 10.8% in 2014, and 15.8% in 2015. Interestingly, rickettsial DNA levels in singly-infected ticks were significantly lower in “Ca. R. andeanae”-infected ticks compared to R. parkeri-infected ticks (P < 0.0001). Thus, both infection rates and rickettsial DNA levels were higher for R. parkeri than “Ca. R. andeanae.” Infection rates of R. parkeri were also higher, and “Ca. R. andeanae” lower, here compared to A. maculatum reported previously in Kansas and Oklahoma. As we continue to monitor infection rates and levels, we anticipate that understanding temporal changes will improve our awareness of human risk for spotted fever rickettsioses. Further, these data may lead to additional studies to evaluate potential interactions among sympatric Rickettsia species in A. maculatum at the population level.

© The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
J. K. Lee, G. M. Moraru, J. V. Stokes, R. W. Wills, E. Mitchell, E. Unz, B. Moore-Henderson, A. B. Harper, and A. S. Varela-Stokes "Rickettsia parkeri and “Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae” in Questing Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) From Mississippi," Journal of Medical Entomology 54(2), 476-480, (22 October 2016). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjw175
Received: 8 April 2016; Accepted: 22 September 2016; Published: 22 October 2016
JOURNAL ARTICLE
5 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
“Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae”
Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast tick)
Mississippi
Rickettsia parkeri
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top