Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever
The Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) was first reported in the United States in 2017 and has since been detected in at least 17 states. This tick infests cattle and can produce large populations quickly due to its parthenogenetic nature, leading to significant livestock mortalities...
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Elsevier
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000670 |
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| author | Karen C. Poh Mitzi Aguilar Janaína Capelli-Peixoto Sara K. Davis Massaro W. Ueti |
| author_facet | Karen C. Poh Mitzi Aguilar Janaína Capelli-Peixoto Sara K. Davis Massaro W. Ueti |
| author_sort | Karen C. Poh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) was first reported in the United States in 2017 and has since been detected in at least 17 states. This tick infests cattle and can produce large populations quickly due to its parthenogenetic nature, leading to significant livestock mortalities and economic losses. While H. longicornis has not been detected in Texas, species distribution models have identified southern Texas as a possible hospitable region for this tick. Southern Texas is currently home to the southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus), which can transmit the causative agent of cattle fever (Babesia bovis). With the potential for H. longicornis and B. bovis to overlap in southern Texas and their potential to negatively impact the national and global livestock industry, it is imperative to identify the role H. longicornis may play in the cattle fever disease system. A controlled acquisition and transmission experiment tested whether H. longicornis is a vector for B. bovis, with the R. microplus-B. bovis system used as a positive control. Transstadial (nymphs to adults) and transovarial (adults to larvae) transmission and subsequent transstadial maintenance (nymphs and adults) routes were tested in this study. Acquisition-fed, splenectomized animals were used to increase the probability of tick infection. Acquisition nymphs were macerated whole and acquisition adults were dissected to remove midguts and ovaries at five time points (4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 days post-repletion), with 40 ticks processed per time point and life stage. The greatest percentage of nymphs with detectable B. bovis DNA occurred six days post-repletion (20.0 %). For adults, the percentage of positive midguts and ovaries increased as days post-repletion progressed, with day 12 having the highest percentage of positive samples (67.5 % and 60.0 %, respectively). When egg batches were tested in triplicate, all H. longicornis egg batches were negative for B. bovis, while all R. microplus egg batches were positive for B. bovis. During the transmission phase, the subsequent life stages for transstadial (adults) and transovarial transmission/transstadial maintenance (larvae, nymphs, and adults) were fed on naïve, splenectomized calves. All life stages of H. longicornis ticks tested during transmission were negative for B. bovis. Furthermore, the transmission fed animals were also negative for B. bovis and did not show signs of bovine babesiosis during the 45-day post tick transmission period. Given the lack of successful transstadial or transovarial transmission, it is unlikely that H. longicornis is a vector for B. bovis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e4ea4b208ac4fdd885117fa567011a2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1877-9603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e4ea4b208ac4fdd885117fa567011a22025-08-20T01:55:27ZengElsevierTicks and Tick-Borne Diseases1877-96032024-11-0115610237410.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102374Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle feverKaren C. Poh0Mitzi Aguilar1Janaína Capelli-Peixoto2Sara K. Davis3Massaro W. Ueti4Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 3003 Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Corresponding author: 3003 ADBF, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, 3003 Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, Pullman, WA 99164, USADepartment of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, 3003 Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, Pullman, WA 99164, USAAnimal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 3003 Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, Pullman, WA 99164, USAAnimal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 3003 Animal Disease and Biotechnology Facility, Pullman, WA 99164, USAThe Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) was first reported in the United States in 2017 and has since been detected in at least 17 states. This tick infests cattle and can produce large populations quickly due to its parthenogenetic nature, leading to significant livestock mortalities and economic losses. While H. longicornis has not been detected in Texas, species distribution models have identified southern Texas as a possible hospitable region for this tick. Southern Texas is currently home to the southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus), which can transmit the causative agent of cattle fever (Babesia bovis). With the potential for H. longicornis and B. bovis to overlap in southern Texas and their potential to negatively impact the national and global livestock industry, it is imperative to identify the role H. longicornis may play in the cattle fever disease system. A controlled acquisition and transmission experiment tested whether H. longicornis is a vector for B. bovis, with the R. microplus-B. bovis system used as a positive control. Transstadial (nymphs to adults) and transovarial (adults to larvae) transmission and subsequent transstadial maintenance (nymphs and adults) routes were tested in this study. Acquisition-fed, splenectomized animals were used to increase the probability of tick infection. Acquisition nymphs were macerated whole and acquisition adults were dissected to remove midguts and ovaries at five time points (4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 days post-repletion), with 40 ticks processed per time point and life stage. The greatest percentage of nymphs with detectable B. bovis DNA occurred six days post-repletion (20.0 %). For adults, the percentage of positive midguts and ovaries increased as days post-repletion progressed, with day 12 having the highest percentage of positive samples (67.5 % and 60.0 %, respectively). When egg batches were tested in triplicate, all H. longicornis egg batches were negative for B. bovis, while all R. microplus egg batches were positive for B. bovis. During the transmission phase, the subsequent life stages for transstadial (adults) and transovarial transmission/transstadial maintenance (larvae, nymphs, and adults) were fed on naïve, splenectomized calves. All life stages of H. longicornis ticks tested during transmission were negative for B. bovis. Furthermore, the transmission fed animals were also negative for B. bovis and did not show signs of bovine babesiosis during the 45-day post tick transmission period. Given the lack of successful transstadial or transovarial transmission, it is unlikely that H. longicornis is a vector for B. bovis.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000670Asian longhorned tickHaemaphysalis longicornisBabesia bovisBovine babesiosisPathogen acquisitionPathogen transmission |
| spellingShingle | Karen C. Poh Mitzi Aguilar Janaína Capelli-Peixoto Sara K. Davis Massaro W. Ueti Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases Asian longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis Babesia bovis Bovine babesiosis Pathogen acquisition Pathogen transmission |
| title | Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever |
| title_full | Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever |
| title_fullStr | Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever |
| title_full_unstemmed | Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever |
| title_short | Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) does not transmit Babesia bovis, a causative agent of cattle fever |
| title_sort | haemaphysalis longicornis acari ixodidae does not transmit babesia bovis a causative agent of cattle fever |
| topic | Asian longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis Babesia bovis Bovine babesiosis Pathogen acquisition Pathogen transmission |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X24000670 |
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