Assembly of a Draft Genome for the Mouse Ectoparasite Myocoptes musculinus.

Abstract

Myocoptes musculinus is a common ectoparasite of wild mice and is occasionally found on research mice. Infestations of research mice are often subclinical but can cause severe dermatitis. Perhaps more importantly, infestations can cause immunologic reactions that may alter research outcomes, and most animal research facilities strive to prevent or eliminate mites from their mouse colonies. M. musculinus infestations are currently detected by using microscopic evaluation of the fur and skin and PCR assays of pelt swabs targeting the rRNA genes of this mite. In our facility, we encountered multiple, false-positive 18S rRNA PCR results from a closed mouse colony. We could not identify the source of the false positives even after performing PCR analysis of other Myocoptes gene targets using assays developed from the few other target genomic sequences available for M. musculinus or Myocoptes japonensis in public databases. This situation highlighted the limited genetic resources available for development of diagnostic tests specific for this ectoparasite. To expand the available genetic resources, we generated a metagenome of M. musculinus derived by sequencing from fur plucks of an infected mouse. We also determined the completeness of this metagenome and compared it with those of related mites.