Dataset Information

No evidence for the involvement of the argasid tick Ornithodoros faini in the enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within Egyptian rousette bats Rousettus aegyptiacus.

ABSTRACT: The cave-dwelling Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) was recently identified as a natural reservoir host of marburgviruses. However, the mechanisms of transmission for the enzootic maintenance of marburgviruses within ERBs are unclear. Previous ecological investigations of large ERB colonies inhabiting Python Cave and Kitaka Mine, Uganda revealed that argasid ticks (Ornithodoros faini) are hematophagous ectoparasites of ERBs. Yet, their potential role as transmission vectors for marburgvirus has not been sufficiently assessed.In the present study, 3,125 O. faini were collected during April 2013 from the rock crevices of Python Cave, Uganda. None of the ticks tested positive for marburgvirus-specific RNA by Q-RT-PCR. The probability of failure to detect marburgvirus at a conservative prevalence of 0.1 % was 0.05.The absence of marburgvirus RNA in O. faini suggests they do not play a significant role in the transmission and enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within their natural reservoir host.

SUBMITTER: Schuh AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4779231 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

No evidence for the involvement of the argasid tick Ornithodoros faini in the enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within Egyptian rousette bats Rousettus aegyptiacus.

Schuh Amy J AJ Amman Brian R BR Apanaskevich Dmitry A DA Sealy Tara K TK Nichol Stuart T ST Towner Jonathan S JS

Parasites & vectors 20160305

<h4>Background</h4>The cave-dwelling Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) was recently identified as a natural reservoir host of marburgviruses. However, the mechanisms of transmission for the enzootic maintenance of marburgviruses within ERBs are unclear. Previous ecological investigations of large ERB colonies inhabiting Python Cave and Kitaka Mine, Uganda revealed that argasid ticks (Ornithodoros faini) are hematophagous ectoparasites of ERBs. Yet, their potential role as transm ...[more]

PMID: 26944044

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Project description:The argasid tick Ornithodoros erraticus is the vector of African swine fever virus and of several Borrelia species that cause human relapsing fever in the Iberian Peninsula. The tick midgut is part of the ectoparasite-host interface and expresses proteins that are vital for the survival of the tick. Midgut proteins are therefore potential targets for drug and/or vaccine design aimed at the development of new strategies for tick control. Thus, the aim of this work was the characterization of the proteome of the O. erraticus midgut before and after a blood meal trying to elucidate the induced changes upon blood feeding.Midgut tissues from unfed and engorged O. erraticus females were dissected and proteins were fractionated by centrifugation and SDS-PAGE, and the corresponding gel pieces analysed by LC-MS/MS. The identified proteins were classified according to their Protein Class and Molecular Function and the differences between fed and unfed specimens were analysed.Overall 555 tick proteins were identified: 414 in the midgut of the unfed specimens and 376 in the fed specimens, of which 235 were present in both groups. The proteins with catalytic, binding and structural functions were the most numerous and abundant, consistent with their role in the intracellular processing of the blood meal. The analysis of some groups of proteins putatively involved directly in blood meal digestion, including protein digestion (peptidase activity), iron metabolism, enzymes involved in oxidative stress and detoxification and membrane traffic and transport proteins, detected some differences between the fed and unfed ticksThis work reports for the first time the collection and analysis of the midgut proteome of an argasid tick species and provides molecular information about the argasid machinery involved in blood digestion. This information represents a starting point for the identification and selection of new targets for the development of alternative control strategies.

Dataset Information

No evidence for the involvement of the argasid tick Ornithodoros faini in the enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within Egyptian rousette bats Rousettus aegyptiacus.

Publications

No evidence for the involvement of the argasid tick Ornithodoros faini in the enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within Egyptian rousette bats Rousettus aegyptiacus.

Similar Datasets

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