Abstract
Ticks acquire a wide range of microorganisms as a natural part of their lifecycle. Bacteria, viruses, and protozoa can be transmitted to ticks during feeding and free-living phases. DGGE profiling is a molecular method to describe the microbial population associated with ticks and demonstrate some of the complexity and variety of tick-borne microorganisms. The present study profiled a total of 120 I. ricinus ticks, which were divided into three equally sized groups. We found that B. burgdorferi s.l.-infected ticks presented a pattern consisting of bacterial Pseudomonas spp. (67.5%), Bacillus spp. (50%), and Sphingomonas spp. (77.5%), while A. phagocytophilum-infected ticks were associated with Pseudomonas spp. (82.5%) and Sphingomonas spp. (57.5%). All profiles had one or more Pseudomonas species present, and the intramitochondrial endosymbiont Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii was present in more than 25% of the samples. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the microbial communities were not significantly different between the groups and that the groups could not be characterised by a specific microbial population.
Highlights
Complex microbial communities are found in most natural ecosystems and are composed of a great variety of microorganisms [1]
The results showed that 87 ticks were positive for B. burgdorferi sensu lato, while 47 ticks were positive for A. phagocytophilum
Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiling was used to describe the microbial population in B. burgdorferi sensu lato- and A. phagocytophilum-infected ticks
Summary
Complex microbial communities are found in most natural ecosystems and are composed of a great variety of microorganisms [1]. Ticks have the potential to acquire microorganisms in all stages of their lifecycle, and they are associated with a large diversity of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa [2]. Some of these microorganisms are pathogens that are acquired while feeding on various hosts, while others are related to the environment where ticks reside during their free-living phases [2, 3]. Tick-borne zoonoses can cause severe and fatal infections in both humans and animals [4]. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato comprises a group of Borrelia species that cause LD worldwide, and in particular, three A number of tick-borne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa have been linked to diseases such as Lyme disease (LD), anaplasmosis (formerly ehrlichiosis), tularaemia, babesiosis, and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) [5].
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