Investigating the Co-Occurrence of Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia andeanae in Gulf Coast Tick Populations in Virginia
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
Gulf Coast ticks, Amblyomma maculatum, are the principal vectors of the pathogen Rickettsia parkeri in the southeastern U.S. Rickettsia parkeri, the causative agent of a type of spotted fever rickettsiosis, is an intracellular bacterium that can be transmitted through tick saliva. Presence of a closely-related species, R. andeanae, in Gulf Coast tick populations appears to limit prevalence of R. parkeri. To investigate co-occurrence in ticks, we hypothesized that sites in Virginia with higher R. parkeri prevalence would have lower prevalence of R. andeanae. We tested 232 ticks for collected from five sites in Virginia for R. parkeri and R. andeanae using a real-time PCR assay targeting species-specific sequences of the ompB gene. Overall, 48.7% of 232 ticks were infected with R. parkeri, and only 5% were positive for R. andeanae with R. parkeri infection observed in Virginia Gulf Coast ticks along with few R. andeanae infections conforms to the hypothesis that R. parkeri and R. andeanae rarely co-occur. Further work will expand the geographic area covered to include more sites across the southeastern U.S.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
David Gauthier
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Biology
Session Title
Poster Session
Location
Learning Commons, Atrium
Start Date
2-8-2020 8:00 AM
End Date
2-8-2020 12:30 PM
Investigating the Co-Occurrence of Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia andeanae in Gulf Coast Tick Populations in Virginia
Learning Commons, Atrium
Gulf Coast ticks, Amblyomma maculatum, are the principal vectors of the pathogen Rickettsia parkeri in the southeastern U.S. Rickettsia parkeri, the causative agent of a type of spotted fever rickettsiosis, is an intracellular bacterium that can be transmitted through tick saliva. Presence of a closely-related species, R. andeanae, in Gulf Coast tick populations appears to limit prevalence of R. parkeri. To investigate co-occurrence in ticks, we hypothesized that sites in Virginia with higher R. parkeri prevalence would have lower prevalence of R. andeanae. We tested 232 ticks for collected from five sites in Virginia for R. parkeri and R. andeanae using a real-time PCR assay targeting species-specific sequences of the ompB gene. Overall, 48.7% of 232 ticks were infected with R. parkeri, and only 5% were positive for R. andeanae with R. parkeri infection observed in Virginia Gulf Coast ticks along with few R. andeanae infections conforms to the hypothesis that R. parkeri and R. andeanae rarely co-occur. Further work will expand the geographic area covered to include more sites across the southeastern U.S.