American Dog Ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) as Biological Indicators of an Association between the Enteric Bacterium Moellerella wisconsensis and Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Southwestern Manitoba, Canada

American Dog Ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) as Biological Indicators of an Association between the Enteric Bacterium Moellerella wisconsensis and Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Southwestern Manitoba, Canada

Total genomic (g)DNA from 100 American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) collected from humans, dogs, raccoons, and skunks near Minnedosa (Manitoba, Canada) in 2005 was tested for the presence of Moellerella wisconsensis (Gammaproteobacteria: Enterobacteriales) using PCR. Although two gDNA samples...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of wildlife diseases Vol. 56; no. 4; pp. 918 - 921
Main Authors: Chilton, Neil B., Dergousoff, Shaun J., Brzezowska, Veronica, Trost, Chantel N., Dunlop, Diana R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Wildlife Disease Association 01-10-2020
Subjects:
American dog tick
Animals
Dermacentor - microbiology
DNA, Bacterial - genetics
Dogs
Gammaproteobacteria - isolation & purification
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Humans
Manitoba
Mephitidae - microbiology
Mephitis mephitis
Moellerella wisconsensis
Phylogeny
Raccoons
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
striped skunks
xenosurveillance
Manitoba
xenosurveillance
Mephitis mephitis
American dog tick
striped skunks
Moellerella wisconsensis
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Total genomic (g)DNA from 100 American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) collected from humans, dogs, raccoons, and skunks near Minnedosa (Manitoba, Canada) in 2005 was tested for the presence of Moellerella wisconsensis (Gammaproteobacteria: Enterobacteriales) using PCR. Although two gDNA samples derived from ticks attached to two striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) contained M. wisconsensis DNA, it is unlikely that D. variabilis is a vector of this bacterium. Genomic DNA prepared from the washes of the external surfaces of these two ticks (i.e., before DNA extraction from the whole tick) and another two ticks attached to same skunks were also PCR positive for M. wisconsensis. This suggests that ticks acquired the bacterium by physical contact with contaminated or infected skunks. However, it does not exclude the possibility that the ticks may have also imbibed the bacterium from their host blood and lymph. Nonetheless, the results of this molecular study suggest that the four adult D. variabilis represent biological indicators of the presence of M. wisconsensis in association with their vertebrate hosts (i.e., striped skunks). Additional work is needed to determine if M. wisconsensis is present in the blood and lymph of striped skunks in southwestern Manitoba and if there are potential health risks for persons coming into contact with infected animals.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0090-3558
1943-3700
DOI:10.7589/2019-09-224