Gaël Aleix-Mata, José E Granados, Eugenia E Montiel, Noelia Caparrós, Pablo Mora, José M Rico-Porras, Einer F Mendoza, Jesús M Pérez, Antonio Sánchez
{"title":"Characterizing the complete mitochondrial genome and rDNA of Oestrus sp. (Diptera: Oestridae): the bot fly parasitizing the Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica.","authors":"Gaël Aleix-Mata, José E Granados, Eugenia E Montiel, Noelia Caparrós, Pablo Mora, José M Rico-Porras, Einer F Mendoza, Jesús M Pérez, Antonio Sánchez","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf045","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Species of the genus Oestrus Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Oestridae) are obligate parasites that affect the nasal and pharyngeal cavities of mammals, causing significant harm to both livestock and wildlife. In this study, the complete mitogenome of Oestrus sp., a bot fly parasitizing the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica Schinz, 1838), has been sequenced and assembled. A comparison with the mitogenome of Oestrus ovis Linnaeus, 1758 revealed a high degree of similarity in terms of gene organization and nucleotide composition, and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the close evolutionary relationship between them. Additionally, the entire rDNA cistron, including the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2), was characterized for both species, revealing considerable variation in the length of ITS1, while the 18S, 5.8S, and 28S rRNA genes showed high sequence conservation. These results provide information about molecular markers of 2 Oestrus species. Furthermore, the findings offer insights that could facilitate the diagnosis and management of parasitic infestations of Oestridae species in both domestic and wild hosts.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"808-815"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12271734/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144047645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shyh-Chi Chen, Christopher J Holmes, Oluwaseun M Ajayi, Grace Goodhart, Daniel Eaton, Nathan Catlett, Tabitha Cady, Hannah Tran, Luke E Lutz, Lyn Wang, Ella Girard, Jaida Savino, Amena Bidiwala, Joshua B Benoit
{"title":"The impact of sugar diet on humidity preference, survival, and host landing in mosquitoes.","authors":"Shyh-Chi Chen, Christopher J Holmes, Oluwaseun M Ajayi, Grace Goodhart, Daniel Eaton, Nathan Catlett, Tabitha Cady, Hannah Tran, Luke E Lutz, Lyn Wang, Ella Girard, Jaida Savino, Amena Bidiwala, Joshua B Benoit","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf048","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquito-borne diseases have caused more than 1 million deaths each year. There is an urgent need to develop an effective way to reduce mosquito-host interaction to mitigate disease transmission. Sugar diets have long been linked to abnormal physiology in animals, making them potential candidates for mosquito control. Here, we show the impact of sugar diets on humidity preference and survival in Aedes aegypti (Gainesville) and Culex pipiens (Buckeye). Two-choice assays with high and low relative humidity (80% and 50% RH) show that the impact of sugar diets on humidity preference is species-specific. In comparison to Cx. pipiens, various sugar diets resulted in marked reductions in humidity avidity and preference in Ae. aegypti, which exhibited significant differences. Among the sugar diets, arabinose significantly reduced the survival rate of mosquitoes at low concentrations. Moreover, we found that host landing was not impacted by feeding on different sugar types. Our study suggests that specific sugar treatments could be applied to mosquito control by dampening their humidity preference and reducing their lifespan, thus reducing mosquito-borne disease transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"886-894"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12271739/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144055544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Current knowledge on fleas (Siphonaptera) associated with human plague transmission in Madagascar.","authors":"Mireille Harimalala","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf050","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fleas are ectoparasites of mammals and birds. Some species are known for their medical and veterinary importance. Particularly for humans and domestic animals, fleas are often merely nuisance species, but may also be disease vectors. Some well-known infectious diseases are transmitted from animals to humans by flea bites: murine typhus, spotted-fever, bartonelloses and plague. Particularly for plague, more than 80 species were reported vectors in the world and some are internationally renowned and have been the focus of studies over decades. In Madagascar, fleas are associated with two diseases namely tungiasis and plague. Tungiasis is neglected while it affects many primarily rural districts of the country. Plague is a public health concern and endemic districts are mainly focused in the highland regions. Although more than 40 flea species occur in Madagascar, this paper is focused on some species that are confirmed or suspected vectors of plague bacteria (Yersinia pestis Lehmann and Neumann, 1896) in Madagascar namely Xenopsylla cheopis Rothschild, 1903, X. brasiliensis Baker, 1904, Synopsyllus fonquerniei Wagner and Roubaud, 1932, S. estradei Klein, 1964, Pulex irritans Linnaeus, 1758 and Paractenopsyllus pauliani Lumaret, 1962, and reviews their origins and geographic distributions, bioecology, host preferences, vector competence regarding Y. pestis, and their roles in pathogen transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"749-759"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144063672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neil B Chilton, Prasobh R Thampy, Cole R Wolbaum, Emily E Sterling, Jessica T Thoroughgood, Elisabeth D Berg, Alexander S Halpin, Chulantha P Diyes, Matthew E M Yunik, Adrian A Díaz-Sánchez, Kateryn Rochon, Timothy J Lysyk, Shaun J Dergousoff
{"title":"Genetic diversity and phylogeographic relationships of Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) within an established population in southern Manitoba (Canada), and the prevalence of Rickettsia montanensis and Francisella-like endosymbionts.","authors":"Neil B Chilton, Prasobh R Thampy, Cole R Wolbaum, Emily E Sterling, Jessica T Thoroughgood, Elisabeth D Berg, Alexander S Halpin, Chulantha P Diyes, Matthew E M Yunik, Adrian A Díaz-Sánchez, Kateryn Rochon, Timothy J Lysyk, Shaun J Dergousoff","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The primary objective of this study was to determine if DNA sequences of the mitochondrial (mt) cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 gene (cox1) and/or the mt 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene can be used to study the population genetics and phylogeography of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say). DNA sequences were determined for 200 adult ticks collected from an established population in a region of Manitoba (Canada) where there have been recent outbreaks of bovine anaplasmosis. Given this, a secondary objective was to test these ticks for the presence of Anaplasma marginale Theiler and 2 other bacterial pathogens, Rickettsia rickettsii Brumpt and Francisella tularensis (McCoy and Chapin 1912) Dorofe'ev 1947. However, no ticks were PCR-positive for these bacteria, whereas 15% of ticks were PCR-positive for R. montanensis Weiss and Moulder and 96% contained Francisella-like endosymbionts. Nucleotide and haplotype diversity among ticks was greater for cox1 than the 16S rRNA gene, thus cox1 is more useful for examining the genetic diversity within and among D. variabilis populations. The 33 cox1 haplotypes could be separated into 3 haplogroups, but when combined with sequence data from GenBank, 6 clades were evident, 2 of which comprised ticks from primarily Saskatchewan, Manitoba, western Ontario, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. These findings indicate that cox1 can be used to understand the phylogeography of D. variabilis, but more sequences are needed from individuals in other populations across geographical range of this tick species, particularly those on the Canadian prairies where D. variabilis is undergoing range expansion.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"840-850"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12271740/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144056746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tela Zembsch, David Jansen, Xia Lee, Emily Oberle, Rosemary Philip, Lyric Bartholomay, Susan Paskewitz
{"title":"Tick spotting: using mannequins to evaluate individual efficacy at detecting Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae).","authors":"Tela Zembsch, David Jansen, Xia Lee, Emily Oberle, Rosemary Philip, Lyric Bartholomay, Susan Paskewitz","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf053","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tick checks are a free and accessible personal protection measure used to prevent tick bites and are frequently recommended by public health institutions and vector-borne disease researchers. However, little is known about how successful people are at detecting ticks on themselves or others when using this method. We developed a tool for evaluating factors affecting the efficacy of tick checks using mannequins. In 2022 and 2023, we recruited 207 participants to complete a brief survey and perform a tick check on a mannequin, where dead Ixodes scapularis Say larvae, nymphs, and adults had been glued at various locations. None of the survey results (demographics, knowledge, attitude, and concerns about ticks and tick-borne disease) were associated with likelihood of tick detection. On average, participants detected 42% of nymphs on the mannequin. Adult females were 3 to 4 times more likely to be detected than nymphs. Ticks above the waistline were detected 3 times more frequently than ticks below. Ticks that were on white-colored clothing were 3 times more likely to be detected than those on dark-colored clothing. Ticks that were not covered by hair or clothing were 2 times more likely to be detected than covered ticks. These findings show that there are multiple factors that may limit tick detection during a tick check. Outreach should emphasize the importance of awareness of size variation between stages, completing a thorough whole-body examination including the lower limbs and covered locations, and wearing light-colored clothing.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"961-969"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144096465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ellen Y Stromdahl, Katherine A Feldman, Robyn M Nadolny, Ashley C Kennedy, Zachary J Bement, Michael Buoni, Heather Rutz, James C Broyhill, Joshua Bernick, R Jory Brinkerhoff, Leslie Ayuk-Takor, David Crum, Alexandre J da Silva, Eric Dotseth, Lori Flammia, Kyle Girone, David Gaines, Anna Phan, Bobbi S Pritt, Siok-Bi Wee, Holly D Gaff, Wayne L Hynes
{"title":"Emerging babesiosis in the mid-Atlantic: autochthonous human babesiosis cases and Babesia microti (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae) in Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) and Ixodes keiransi (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, 2009 to 2024.","authors":"Ellen Y Stromdahl, Katherine A Feldman, Robyn M Nadolny, Ashley C Kennedy, Zachary J Bement, Michael Buoni, Heather Rutz, James C Broyhill, Joshua Bernick, R Jory Brinkerhoff, Leslie Ayuk-Takor, David Crum, Alexandre J da Silva, Eric Dotseth, Lori Flammia, Kyle Girone, David Gaines, Anna Phan, Bobbi S Pritt, Siok-Bi Wee, Holly D Gaff, Wayne L Hynes","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf054","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The range of Babesia microti (Franca, 1910)-infected ticks is expanding, resulting in locally acquired human babesiosis cases occurring in new areas: Maryland (2009), the District of Columbia (2013), Virginia (2016), and West Virginia (2017). We collected host-seeking ticks from old fields, ecotones, forested habitats and animal hosts in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, 2010 to 2024. Ixodes scapularis Say, the tick vector of babesiosis, was captured in all 3 states. PCR revealed B. microti in 2.7% (36/1310) of I. scapularis, with site prevalence ranging from <1% to 12.5% infected. The first B. microti-positive I. scapularis was collected in Northampton County, Virginia, 2012. Of the B. microti-infected ticks, 50% (18/36) were coinfected with Borrelia burgdorferi and one was triple-infected with B. microti, B. burgdorferi, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We collected Ixodes keiransi Beati, Nava, Venzal, and Guglielmone ticks from Delaware and Virginia. We found B. microti and B. burgdorferi in those from Virginia, and B. burgdorferi in ticks from a shrew in Delaware. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. microti and B. burgdorferi-positive I. keiransi from Virginia, and the first report of B. burgdorferi-positive I. keiransi from Delaware. Ixodes keiransi ticks rarely bite humans but are involved in the maintenance and spread of pathogens when sympatric with I. scapularis. We tested a subset of both tick species for Babesia duncani; none were positive. Jurisdictions in the southern mid-Atlantic region should expect babesiosis cases, and Lyme disease and anaplasmosis coinfections, and healthcare providers should consider these tick-borne infections as part of the differential diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"995-1008"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144061417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Screening of larvicidal activities and potential mode of action of Citrus limon (Rutaceae) and Salvia rosmarinus (Lamiaceae) essential oils against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.","authors":"Aamir Ali, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir, Asjid Ghaffar, Zahida Parveen, Fariha Munir, Ayesha Muzamil, Samima Asad Butt, Fatima Ijaz","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf061","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the increase in dengue fever cases, the control of dengue vector Aedes mosquito is crucial. The current study was designed to evaluate the larvicidal activity of essential oils of Citrus limon L.; Rutaceae and Salvia rosmarinus (Spenn 1836); Lamiaceae against Aedes aegypti L., and Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) mosquitoes. The essential oils were extracted by steam distillation and their component analysis was conducted. The larvicidal activities were assessed by exposing fourth instar larvae to various concentrations of essential oils for 24 h. The mode of action of essential oils was assessed by analyzing their inhibitory activities against key mosquito enzymes including acetylcholinesterase and α-amylase. The major constituents identified from both plant essential oils were 1,8-cineole, limonene, camphor, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpineol, and linalool. Moreover, the C. limon and S. rosmarinus essential oils exhibited significant larvicidal activities against Aedes larvae. The LC50 values of C. limon essential oil for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae were 33.43 and 38.01 mg/liter, respectively, as compared to the LC50 of S. rosmarinus essential oil that were 44.96 and 49.53 mg/liter, respectively. Furthermore, both plant essential oils significantly inhibited the activities of acetylcholinesterase and α-amylase. The camphor and limonene were the major essential oils components with highest binding affinities against acetylcholinesterase (-6.3 and -6.4) and α-amylase (-5.9 and -5.2) enzymes. Therefore, it can be concluded that the essential oils of C. limon and S. rosmarinus with diverse compositions possess significant larvicidal activities as well as inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase and α-amylase. Therefore, these essential oils can be used for Aedes mosquito control.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"905-913"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144121780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Megan Schierer, Sandra De Urioste-Stone, Allison M Gardner
{"title":"An ecological and social approach to the distribution of vector and nuisance mosquito species across residential land use types.","authors":"Megan Schierer, Sandra De Urioste-Stone, Allison M Gardner","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf056","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquito abundance and distribution are related to environmental variables like rainfall and land cover which shape available aquatic habitat for oviposition and juvenile development. Many mosquito species rely on natural water sources for oviposition and juvenile development. However, others have evolved to occupy urban niches and artificial habitats associated with urbanization and human-dominated environments, like tires or storm drains. Additionally, as land cover changes over rural-urban gradients, mosquito species richness decreases via reduced habitat heterogeneity. Human exposure to mosquitoes is a product of environmental processes, and human behaviors related to mosquito control and personal protection. To understand mosquito distribution from both perspectives, we conducted a study with paired entomological and behavioral science data collection. We collected mosquitoes at 40 sites across a rural-urban gradient of 30 residential properties and 10 recreational forest sites in Bangor, Maine, and conducted a juvenile habitat assessment on the residential properties. Additionally, a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice survey was administered among property owners to understand factors that affect engagement in mosquito control and protective behaviors. Mosquito abundance was highest in forested and rural residential sites. Nuisance species abundance was highest at rural residential sites, while vector species abundance was highest in urban residential sites. Despite 54% respondents reporting mosquitoes as a nuisance, only 10.5% and 5.3% reported frequent engagement in preventative behaviors such as wearing mosquito repellent or protective clothing, respectively. This study builds on literature demonstrating patterns of vector mosquito abundance in residential areas and exploration of resident mosquito control practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"970-983"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Helver Gonçalves Dias, Ingrid Oliveira Garrido, Daniel Cardoso Portela Câmara, Tanise Moitinho Santana Stenn, Nathan Burkett-Cadena, Nildimar Alves Honório, Alex Pauvolid-Corrêa, Flávia Barreto Dos Santos
{"title":"Blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in an area of high arbovirus transmission in West-Central Brazil.","authors":"Helver Gonçalves Dias, Ingrid Oliveira Garrido, Daniel Cardoso Portela Câmara, Tanise Moitinho Santana Stenn, Nathan Burkett-Cadena, Nildimar Alves Honório, Alex Pauvolid-Corrêa, Flávia Barreto Dos Santos","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf041","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquitoes target a wide range of vertebrate species for blood meal and study of these vector-host interactions enhances our knowledge of how vector-borne viruses are transmitted. In the last decades, West-Central Brazil has faced the emergence and reemergence of several arboviruses, with a great public health impact. In addition to the well-known Aedes-borne viruses, such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, other arboviruses have spread throughout the country and constitute a continuous public health concern. We report results of blood meal analysis of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in urbanized areas of West-Central Brazil during a Zika virus surveillance between 2017 and 2018. Amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial DNA were used to determine vertebrate origin. A total of 284 blood-engorged mosquitoes belong to 6 genera and 12 species were collected. Of these, we successfully identified blood meal in 146 (51.4%). Collections of blood-fed individuals were dominated by species of Culex (65.8%) and Aedes (25.4%). Overall, blood meal profiles demonstrated that humans were the main source (56.8%). Despite anthropophilic preferences, Aedes aegypti also fed on domestic (12.5%) and wild mammals (8.3%). Culex spp. showed an ornithophilic pattern. Humans made up 80% (n = 20) of blood meals from Aedes albopictus while 20% (n = 5) were from horses. Our results expand the knowledge regarding the vertebrate species used as hosts by mosquitoes in urbanized areas of Brazil. The variety of vertebrate species, including rodents, bats, and humans used by the local mosquitoes, highlights the continuous risk for spillover events.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"914-920"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144145273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa, Nicole E Wagner, Zoe E Narvaez, Dana C Price
{"title":"Molecular detection of a canine respiratory pathogen, Mycoplasma cynos, in the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae).","authors":"Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa, Nicole E Wagner, Zoe E Narvaez, Dana C Price","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjaf062","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjaf062","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mycoplasma cynos (Rosendal 1973, Mycoplasmatales, Mycoplasmataceae) is a significant bacterial pathogen within the Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRD), causing substantial morbidity worldwide in pet and kennel dog populations. While its role as both a primary and secondary pathogen in respiratory disease is established, the epidemiology and potential for vector-borne transmission of M. cynos remains understudied. Here, we describe an identified association of M. cynos with a lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum L., collected in New Jersey, USA, using a next-generation metabarcoding approach. Sequence identity and phylogenetic analysis confirmed its provenance as a canine-derived M. cynos strain, and to our knowledge represents the first identification of this pathogen in ticks. These findings suggest a potential tick-mediated epidemiological link between canine hosts and the environment, underlining the need for further studies on tick-borne transmission dynamics and their role in the broader ecology of canine and wildlife respiratory pathogens.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1032-1036"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}