Tickborne microorganisms in Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Bitterroot Mountains of Western Montana

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q2 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Pub Date : 2025-11-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-14 DOI:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102555

K.L. Clark , J. Villegas Nunez , C. Gentry , A. Gibson , H. Husein , R. Burstein , K. Hamm

{"title":"Tickborne microorganisms in Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Bitterroot Mountains of Western Montana","authors":"K.L. Clark , J. Villegas Nunez , C. Gentry , A. Gibson , H. Husein , R. Burstein , K. Hamm","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102555","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, is the most common human biting tick in the Rocky Mountain region of the USA. Although Rickettsia spp. and Colorado tick fever virus have been studied in D. andersoni in certain areas of their distribution, investigations of most other tickborne pathogens are lacking. Despite the history of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the Bitterroot Mountains of western Montana, no comprehensive surveys of large numbers of ticks for Rickettsia spp. have been conducted there for >40 years. For the present study, host-seeking adult D. andersoni were collected at multiple sites in canyons on the west side of the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana in spring 2021. Following DNA extraction, ticks were screened by polymerase chain reaction assays for several tick-borne microorganisms. DNA sequence data analysis was conducted to confirm identity and conduct phylogenetic comparisons with reference strain sequences of different organisms. No ticks were found to contain Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., or Ehrlichia spp. DNA, and a Babesia sp. was detected in only one tick. However, Bartonella spp. DNA was detected in 2 % of tested ticks. Additionally, five species of Rickettsia, including R. peacockii, R. bellii, R. rhipicephali, R. montanensis, and R. rickettsii, were identified in ticks from different sites. The most prevalent Rickettsia species was R. peacockii and the least common was R. rickettsii (found in only two ticks). The relevance of these findings is discussed in relation to historical and contemporary data on Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102555"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X25001190","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/10/14 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"INFECTIOUS DISEASES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, is the most common human biting tick in the Rocky Mountain region of the USA. Although Rickettsia spp. and Colorado tick fever virus have been studied in D. andersoni in certain areas of their distribution, investigations of most other tickborne pathogens are lacking. Despite the history of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the Bitterroot Mountains of western Montana, no comprehensive surveys of large numbers of ticks for Rickettsia spp. have been conducted there for >40 years. For the present study, host-seeking adult D. andersoni were collected at multiple sites in canyons on the west side of the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana in spring 2021. Following DNA extraction, ticks were screened by polymerase chain reaction assays for several tick-borne microorganisms. DNA sequence data analysis was conducted to confirm identity and conduct phylogenetic comparisons with reference strain sequences of different organisms. No ticks were found to contain Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., or Ehrlichia spp. DNA, and a Babesia sp. was detected in only one tick. However, Bartonella spp. DNA was detected in 2 % of tested ticks. Additionally, five species of Rickettsia, including R. peacockii, R. bellii, R. rhipicephali, R. montanensis, and R. rickettsii, were identified in ticks from different sites. The most prevalent Rickettsia species was R. peacockii and the least common was R. rickettsii (found in only two ticks). The relevance of these findings is discussed in relation to historical and contemporary data on Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp.

查看原文本刊更多论文

蒙大拿州西部苦根山安德氏革螨蜱传微生物（蜱螨目：伊蚊科）。

落基山木蜱（Dermacentor andersoni Stiles）是美国落基山地区最常见的咬人蜱。虽然立克次体和科罗拉多蜱热病毒已经在安德氏蜱分布的某些地区进行了研究，但对大多数其他蜱传病原体的调查缺乏。尽管在蒙大拿州西部的比特根山脉有落基山斑疹热的历史，但在那里没有进行过近40年的立克次体蜱虫的大量全面调查。在本研究中，研究人员于2021年春季在蒙大拿州西部比特鲁特山谷西侧峡谷的多个地点收集了寻找寄主的成年安德森线虫。DNA提取后，采用聚合酶链反应法筛选蜱传微生物。通过DNA序列数据分析，确认不同生物的同源性，并与参考菌株序列进行系统发育比较。未发现蜱含有无原体、伯氏疏螺旋体或埃利希氏体DNA，仅在一只蜱中检测到巴贝斯虫。然而，在2%的蜱中检测到巴尔通体的DNA。此外，在不同地点的蜱中还检出了5种立克次体，包括peacockir、bellii r、rhipicephali r、montanensis r和立克次体。最常见的立克次体种是孔雀立克次体，最不常见的是立克次体（仅在2种蜱中发现）。这些发现的相关性与巴尔通体和立克次体的历史和当代数据进行了讨论。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases INFECTIOUS DISEASES-MICROBIOLOGY

CiteScore

6.90

自引率

12.50%

发文量

185

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases is an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal. It publishes original research papers, short communications, state-of-the-art mini-reviews, letters to the editor, clinical-case studies, announcements of pertinent international meetings, and editorials. The journal covers a broad spectrum and brings together various disciplines, for example, zoology, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, mathematical modelling, veterinary and human medicine. Multidisciplinary approaches and the use of conventional and novel methods/methodologies (in the field and in the laboratory) are crucial for deeper understanding of the natural processes and human behaviour/activities that result in human or animal diseases and in economic effects of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Such understanding is essential for management of tick populations and tick-borne diseases in an effective and environmentally acceptable manner.