Preliminary Insight into Temperature-Dependent Survival of Rickettsia parkeri: Implications for Tick Expansion and Avian Hosts
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
The Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum Koch) has expanded beyond its historic range in states surrounding the Gulf Coast in the United States. Expansion of this three-host tick has been associated with movement of cattle and migratory birds from this area. A. maculatum is recognized both as a reservoir and a vector of Rickettsia parkeri, the causative agent of Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, and is considered an increasing public health concern. Mechanisms enabling R. parkeri persistence while A. maculatum is successfully expanding its territory remain unclear. Unlike the mammalian hosts that A. maculatum parasitize, birds maintain a higher body temperature (averaging 41°C) due to high metabolic demands, potentially exposing R. parkeri within feeding ticks to higher temperatures. In this preliminary study, African Green Monkey kidney (Vero) cells were infected with R. parkeri and incubated at 34°C, the optimal temperature for R. parkeri growth, and 41°C, for a period of five days. The growth of Rickettsia was assessed daily via immunofluorescence analysis (IFA) and qPCR. A titration assay was performed to determine if R. parkeri grown in Vero cells for five days at the different temperatures remained infectious. The viability of Vero cells at both temperatures during the experiment was also assessed as a control. This preliminary study aims to shed light on one of the epidemiological factors that may influence the spread of R. parkeri in the United States.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Wayne Hynes and Isaura Simoes
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
whynes@odu.edu , isimes@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Biological Sciences
College/School Affiliation
College of Sciences
Student Level Group
Graduate/Professional
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Preliminary Insight into Temperature-Dependent Survival of Rickettsia parkeri: Implications for Tick Expansion and Avian Hosts
The Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum Koch) has expanded beyond its historic range in states surrounding the Gulf Coast in the United States. Expansion of this three-host tick has been associated with movement of cattle and migratory birds from this area. A. maculatum is recognized both as a reservoir and a vector of Rickettsia parkeri, the causative agent of Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, and is considered an increasing public health concern. Mechanisms enabling R. parkeri persistence while A. maculatum is successfully expanding its territory remain unclear. Unlike the mammalian hosts that A. maculatum parasitize, birds maintain a higher body temperature (averaging 41°C) due to high metabolic demands, potentially exposing R. parkeri within feeding ticks to higher temperatures. In this preliminary study, African Green Monkey kidney (Vero) cells were infected with R. parkeri and incubated at 34°C, the optimal temperature for R. parkeri growth, and 41°C, for a period of five days. The growth of Rickettsia was assessed daily via immunofluorescence analysis (IFA) and qPCR. A titration assay was performed to determine if R. parkeri grown in Vero cells for five days at the different temperatures remained infectious. The viability of Vero cells at both temperatures during the experiment was also assessed as a control. This preliminary study aims to shed light on one of the epidemiological factors that may influence the spread of R. parkeri in the United States.