Articles of Significant Interest In This Issue

Abstract

The deer tick Ixodes scapularis is the most important vector of arthropod-borne diseases to humans in North America, with tens of thousands of cases of Lyme disease reported annually. The symbiont Rickettsia buchneri is found in the ovaries of female ticks and is transmitted transovarially to the offspring. In this article, Oliver et al. (e01672-20) describe the reproductive dynamics of R. buchneri throughout the lifecycle of I. scapularis and describe methods for its elimination using antibiotics. Removing R. buchneri will allow future researchers to determine the fitness effects of the symbiont on the host and evaluate its interactions with pathogenic microorganisms responsible for I. scapularis-borne diseases.