Abstract
BackgroundThe Ehrlichia muris-like agent (EMLA) is a newly recognized human pathogen in the North Central United States. Although blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) have been identified as capable vectors, wild reservoirs have not yet been established for EMLA. As key hosts for I. scapularis, white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) are important reservoirs for various tick-borne pathogens, and potentially, for EMLA. The objective of this study was to evaluate reservoir competence in P. leucopus using a natural vector.ResultsMice acquired EMLA infection from feeding ticks and were able to transmit infection to naïve ticks. Transmission between simultaneously feeding tick life stages was also demonstrated. Infections in mice were acute and severe, with systemic dissemination. Limited host survival and clearance of infection among survivors resulted in a narrow interval where EMLA could be acquired by feeding ticks.ConclusionsPeromyscus leucopus is a competent reservoir of EMLA and likely to play a role in its enzootic transmission cycle. The duration and severity of EMLA infection in these hosts suggests that tick phenology is a critical factor determining the geographic distribution of EMLA in North America.
Highlights
The Ehrlichia muris-like agent (EMLA) is a newly recognized human pathogen in the North Central United States
These ticks are generalists that feed on a variety of hosts including mammals, birds and reptiles [10, 11], the whitefooted mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) is commonly recognized as a primary host, and a reservoir for pathogens transmitted by I. scapularis
The primary goals of this study were to (i) assess whether White-footed mice (WFM) are susceptible to EMLA infection via infected nymph feeding, (ii) determine whether WFM are infectious for feeding larvae and for how long, and (iii) characterize pathogenesis in WFM infected with EMLA via tick bite
Summary
The Ehrlichia muris-like agent (EMLA) is a newly recognized human pathogen in the North Central United States. Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the respective agents of Lyme disease and human anaplasmosis, the two most common tick-borne pathogens in the upper Midwest, are pathogens that circulate in an enzootic transmission cycle between vertebrate hosts and I. scapularis. These ticks are generalists that feed on a variety of hosts including mammals, birds and reptiles [10, 11], the whitefooted mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) is commonly recognized as a primary host, and a reservoir for pathogens transmitted by I. scapularis
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