Abstract
Background: Ticks are a major arthropod vector of zoonotic diseases affecting both humans and domestic animals worldwide. Thus, studying tick microbiota would aid in understanding of the potential threats posed by ticks. Methods: Approximately 8,000 unfed ticks, identified as Dermacentor nuttalli, were collected from the sylvosteppe in the western Tianshan mountains. To investigate their potential pathogens, we divided the ticks into 36 groups of 200–300 individuals each for examination with culturomics and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Results: A total of 237 bacterial genera were identified with the two methods. Culturomics identified 46 bacterial species from 23 genera, predominantly Pseudomonas, Pantoea, and Bacillus, whereas 16S rDNA sequencing identified 461 OTUs from 233 genera, predominantly Pseudomonas (53.8%), Coxiella (17.2%), and Pantoea (6.4%). Coxiella, Rickettsia, and ten other genera were discovered only by sequencing, because optimal cultivating conditions were not used for their isolation, whereas Arthrobacter and three other genera were discovered only through culturomics. Conclusions: Several of the identified bacteria, such as line-related sepsis-causing Delftia acidovorans and the pneumonia agent Acinetobacter pittii, can cause human diseases. Thus, both sequencing and culturomics methods are crucial for comprehensive understanding of the microbiota of D. nuttalli.
Highlights
Ticks are a major arthropod vector of zoonotic diseases affecting both humans and domestic animals worldwide
Several studies on the bacterial diversity of ticks have been conducted to reveal the transmission potential of bacterial infections, given that ticks were the first arthropods to be identified as pathogen vectors and that, alongside mosquitoes, they are recognized as a major arthropod vector of diseases affecting both humans and domestic animals worldwide [1]
Caused by Rickettsia conorii, Siberian tick typhus caused by Rickettsia sibirica subsp. sibirica, Q fever caused by Coxiella burnetii, and tick-borne encephalitis caused by Flavivirus [1,2]
Summary
Ticks are a major arthropod vector of zoonotic diseases affecting both humans and domestic animals worldwide. Several studies on the bacterial diversity of ticks have been conducted to reveal the transmission potential of bacterial infections, given that ticks were the first arthropods to be identified as pathogen vectors and that, alongside mosquitoes, they are recognized as a major arthropod vector of diseases affecting both humans and domestic animals worldwide [1]. D. nuttalli are triple-host ticks that overwinter mainly as starving adults, which infest large mammals in the spring; nymphs and larvae emerge in summer and fall and parasitize various rodents [6] These ticks can transmit protozoan pathogens, most commonly Babesia [7,8,9].several well-known tick-borne zoonosis, such as tularemia, tick-borne rickettsiosis, Lyme disease, and tick-borne encephalitis, have been reported [4,10,11]. D. nuttalli is considered an Anaplasma ovis and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus vector [14,15]
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