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8 June 2020 Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria Among Adult Ticks Collected in Conservation Areas and Private Lands of Adair County, Missouri
Carolina D. Sempertegui-Sosa, Jacob Schrier, Daniel J. Romine, Megan E. Connolly
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Abstract

Three species of ticks have been found in Northeast Missouri, where the incidence and prevalence of tick-borne infections is among the highest in the United States of America. We collected ticks and detected the presence of Rickettsia montanensis (instead of R. rickettsii) and Ehrlichia chaffeensis and the absence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections among adult ticks collected in conservation and private areas of Adair County, Missouri. Pathogens were detected and identified using PCR, DNA sequencing of PCR fragments and statistical sequence analysis. We found Ehrlichia chaffeensis in 10% of ticks of the species Amblyomma amercanum and Rickettsia montanensis in 7.95% of collected ticks of the species Dermacentor variabilis. These findings stress the importance of continuous monitoring and study of vector populations in the region. Such monitoring can contribute to risk assessment of ehrlichiosis, spotted fever infections, and anaplasmosis, which are considered endemic in the region.

© 2019 Kansas Entomological Society
Carolina D. Sempertegui-Sosa, Jacob Schrier, Daniel J. Romine, and Megan E. Connolly "Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria Among Adult Ticks Collected in Conservation Areas and Private Lands of Adair County, Missouri," Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 92(3), 512-525, (8 June 2020). https://doi.org/10.2317/0022-8567-92.3.512
Received: 19 April 2019; Accepted: 19 October 2019; Published: 8 June 2020
KEYWORDS
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
Ehrlichia chaffeensis
Rickettsia montanensis
tick-borne infections
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