Co-infection of Ornithodoros coriaceus with the relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia coriaceae, and the agent of epizootic bovine abortion

The soft tick, Ornithodoros coriaceus (Koch) (Acari: Argasidae), is a common mammalian parasite of livestock in many arid regions of the western U.S.A. The tick is a known vector of the undescribed bacterial pathogen that causes epizootic bovine abortion (EBA), which results in late‐term abortions i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical and veterinary entomology 2011-09, Vol.25 (3), p.337-343
Main Authors: TEGLAS, M. B., MAPES, S., HODZIC, E., NIETO, N. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abortion
Abortion, Veterinary - microbiology
Acari
Animals
Argasidae
Argasidae - microbiology
Bacterial infections
Borrelia
Borrelia - isolation & purification
California
Cattle
Cattle Diseases - microbiology
co-infection
Deltaproteobacteria - isolation & purification
Ecosystem
foothill abortion
Infections
Ixodidae
Lyme disease
Nevada
Nymph
Odds Ratio
Oregon
Ornithodoros
soft tick
tick-borne disease
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Summary:The soft tick, Ornithodoros coriaceus (Koch) (Acari: Argasidae), is a common mammalian parasite of livestock in many arid regions of the western U.S.A. The tick is a known vector of the undescribed bacterial pathogen that causes epizootic bovine abortion (EBA), which results in late‐term abortions in beef cattle and subsequent economic loss, which can be considerable, to producers. A second reported bacterial pathogen, Borrelia coriaceae, a member of the relapsing fever complex, has also been identified in this tick and was at one time hypothesized to be the aetiological agent of EBA. In order to test whether bacterial infections in ticks overlapped geographically and to determine the prevalence of co‐infection in O. coriaceus populations, we used molecular methods to detect bacterial DNA from ticks collected from a wide variety of habitats in California, Nevada and Oregon. Of the 15 sites at which ticks tested positive for the agent of EBA (aoEBA), eight also contained ticks positive for Borrelia spp. by polymerase chain reaction assay. Additionally, two ticks were co‐infected; both of these were collected from the same location. Univariate risk analysis indicated the presence of juniper‐dominated habitat at the collection site and geographic location to be significantly associated with infection of the tick vector by either pathogen.
ISSN:0269-283X
1365-2915
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2915.2011.00952.x