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Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons™
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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Immunology and Infectious Disease
Identification Of A Rickettsial Endosymbiont In A Soft Tick Ornithodoros Turicata Americanus, Lichao Liu, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Identification Of A Rickettsial Endosymbiont In A Soft Tick Ornithodoros Turicata Americanus, Lichao Liu, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Bacterial endosymbionts are abundantly found in both hard and soft ticks. Occidentia massiliensis, a rickettsial endosymbiont, was first identified in the soft tick Ornithodoros sonrai collected from Senegal and later was identified in a hard tick Africaniella transversale. In this study, we noted the presence of Occidentia species, designated as Occidentia-like species, in a soft tick O. turicata americanus. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the two genetic markers, 16S rRNA and groEL confirmed the presence of Occidentia-like species in O. turicata americanus ticks. The Occidentia-like species was noted to be present in all developmental stages …
Rickettsial Pathogen Perturbs Tick Circadian Gene To Infect The Vertebrate Host, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Rickettsial Pathogen Perturbs Tick Circadian Gene To Infect The Vertebrate Host, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Ixodes scapularis is a medically important tick that transmits several microbes to humans, including rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In nature, these ticks encounter several abiotic factors including changes in temperature, humidity, and light. Many organisms use endogenously generated circadian pathways to encounter abiotic factors. In this study, we provide evidence for the first time to show that A. phagocytophilum modulates the arthropod circadian gene for its transmission to the vertebrate host. We noted a circadian oscillation in the expression of arthropod clock, bmal1, period and timeless genes when ticks or tick cells were exposed to alternate 12 h …
Editorial: Tick Saliva: Secret To Blood Feeding Success, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Patricia A. Nuttall, Sukanya Narasimhan
Editorial: Tick Saliva: Secret To Blood Feeding Success, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Patricia A. Nuttall, Sukanya Narasimhan
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Discovery Of Exosomes From Tick Saliva And Salivary Glands Reveals Therapeutic Roles For Cxcl12 And Il-8 In Wound Healing At The Tick-Human Skin Interface, Wenshuo Zhou, Faizan Tahir, Joseph Che-Yen Wang, Michael Woodson, Michael B. Sherman, Shahid Karim, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana
Discovery Of Exosomes From Tick Saliva And Salivary Glands Reveals Therapeutic Roles For Cxcl12 And Il-8 In Wound Healing At The Tick-Human Skin Interface, Wenshuo Zhou, Faizan Tahir, Joseph Che-Yen Wang, Michael Woodson, Michael B. Sherman, Shahid Karim, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Ticks secrete various anti-coagulatory, anti-vasoconstrictory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-platelet aggregation factors in their saliva at the bite site during feeding to evade host immunological surveillance and responses. For the first time, we report successful isolation of exosomes (small membrane-bound extracellular signaling vesicles) from saliva and salivary glands of partially fed or unfed ixodid ticks. Our data showed a novel role of these in vivo exosomes in the inhibition of wound healing via downregulation of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and upregulation of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis revealed that tick saliva and salivary glands are composed of heterogeneous populations …
A Simple, Inexpensive Method For Mark-Recapture Of Ixodid Ticks, Alexis White, Robin Minch, Lindsey Bidder, Holly Gaff
A Simple, Inexpensive Method For Mark-Recapture Of Ixodid Ticks, Alexis White, Robin Minch, Lindsey Bidder, Holly Gaff
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Mark-recapture techniques have been widely used and specialized to study organisms throughout the field of biology. To mark-recapture ticks (Ixodida), we have created a simple method to mark ticks using nail polish applied with an insect pin secured in a pencil that allows for a variety of questions to be answered. For measuring tick control efficacy, estimating population estimates, or measuring movement of ticks, this inexpensive mark-recapture method has been easily applied in the field and in the lab to provide useful data to answer a variety of questions about ticks.
Tick-Borne Flavivirus Inhibits Sphingomyelinase (Issmase), A Venomous Spider Ortholog To Increase Sphingomyelin Lipid Levels For Its Survival In Ixodes Scapularis Ticks, Pravesh Regmi, Supreet Khanal, Girish Neelakanta, Hameda Sultana
Tick-Borne Flavivirus Inhibits Sphingomyelinase (Issmase), A Venomous Spider Ortholog To Increase Sphingomyelin Lipid Levels For Its Survival In Ixodes Scapularis Ticks, Pravesh Regmi, Supreet Khanal, Girish Neelakanta, Hameda Sultana
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Our previous study showed that cells from medically important arthropods, such as ticks, secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes that mediate transmission of flavivirus RNA and proteins to the human cells. Understanding the molecular determinants and mechanism(s) of arthropod-borne flavivirus transmission via exosome biogenesis is very important. In this current study, we showed that in the presence of tick-borne Langat Virus (LGTV; a member of tick-borne encephalitis virus complex), the expression of arthropod IsSMase, a sphingomyelinase D (SMase D) that catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of substrates like sphingomyelin (SM) lipids, was significantly reduced in both Ixodes scapularis ticks (in vivo) …
Dynamics Of Two Pathogens In A Single Tick Population, Alexis White, Elsa Schaefer, Chelsea Wright-Thompson, Christopher M. Kribs, Holly Gaff
Dynamics Of Two Pathogens In A Single Tick Population, Alexis White, Elsa Schaefer, Chelsea Wright-Thompson, Christopher M. Kribs, Holly Gaff
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
A mathematical model for a two-pathogen, one-tick, one-host system is presented and explored. The goal of this model is to determine how long an invading pathogen persists within a tick population in which a resident pathogen is already established. The numerical simulations of the model demonstrate the parameter ranges that allow for coexistence of the two pathogens. Sensitivity analysis highlights the importance of vector-borne, tick-to-host, transmission rates on the invasion reproductive number and persistence of the pathogens over time. The model is then applied to a case study based on a reclaimed swampland field site in southeastern Virginia using field …
Modelling The Effects Of Habitat And Hosts On Tick Invasions, Robyn M. Nadolny, Holly D. Gaff
Modelling The Effects Of Habitat And Hosts On Tick Invasions, Robyn M. Nadolny, Holly D. Gaff
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Many tick species are invading new areas because of anthropogenic changes in the landscape, shifting climatic variables and increasing populations of suitable host species and tick habitat. However, the relative influences of habitat and hosts in tick dispersal and tick population establishment remain in question. A spatially explicit agent-based model was developed to explore the spatio-temporal dynamics of a generic tick population in the years immediately following the introduction of ticks into a novel environment. The general model was then adapted to investigate a case study of two recent tick species invasions into the Mid-Atlantic United States. The recent simultaneous …
Comparison Of Phenology And Pathogen Prevalence, Including Infection With The Ehrlichia Muris-Like (Eml) Agent, Of Ixodes Scapularis Removed From Soldiers In The Midwestern And Northeastern United States Over A 15 Year Period (1997-2012), Ellen Stromdahl, Sarah Hamer, Sarah Jenkins, Lynne Sloan, Phillip Williamson, Erik Foster, Robyn Nadolny, Chad Elkins, Mary Vince, Bobbi Pritt
Comparison Of Phenology And Pathogen Prevalence, Including Infection With The Ehrlichia Muris-Like (Eml) Agent, Of Ixodes Scapularis Removed From Soldiers In The Midwestern And Northeastern United States Over A 15 Year Period (1997-2012), Ellen Stromdahl, Sarah Hamer, Sarah Jenkins, Lynne Sloan, Phillip Williamson, Erik Foster, Robyn Nadolny, Chad Elkins, Mary Vince, Bobbi Pritt
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Background: Since 1997, human-biting ticks submitted to the Department of Defense Human Tick Test Kit Program (HTTKP) of the US Army Public Health Command have been tested for pathogens by PCR. We noted differences in the phenology and infection prevalence among Ixodes scapularis ticks submitted from military installations in different geographic regions. The aim of this study was to characterize these observed differences, comparing the phenology and pathogen infection rates of I. scapularis submitted from soldiers at two sites in the upper Midwest ( Camp Ripley, MN, and Ft. McCoy, WI) and one site in the northeastern US (Ft. Indiantown …
Glass Capillary Tube Feeding: A Method For Infecting Nymphal Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) With The Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi, Anne H. Broadwater, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes, Shane Ceraul, Aravinda M. De Silva
Glass Capillary Tube Feeding: A Method For Infecting Nymphal Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) With The Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi, Anne H. Broadwater, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes, Shane Ceraul, Aravinda M. De Silva
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
We evaluated an artificial capillary feeding method to infect nymphal Ixodes scapularis (Say) ticks with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Thirty to 70% of the nymphs were infected after feeding for 2.5 h from glass capillary tubes filled with a solution of spirochetes. Capillary infection was stable and persisted in the nymphs for at least 10 d after feeding. Capillary feeding also maintained natural vector competence patterns because I. scapularis ticks acquired infection unlike Dermacentor variablis (Say), which did not become infected. Capillary infected I. scapularis nymphs were capable of transmitting the infection to naive mice …