Identification of bacteria in the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni, using single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing

PCR-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses combined with DNA sequencing of the prokaryotic 16S ribosomal (r) RNA gene encompassing the hypervariable V4 region was used to determine the bacterial composition of Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni) attached to Richardson's ground squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii) and questing on vegetation in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The bacteria present in questing adult ticks from Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park included Rickettsia peacockii, a Francisella-like endosymbiont (FLE) and an Arsenophonus-like endosymbiont. Bacteria in the adult and nymphal ticks attached to U. richardsonii collected from Beechy included R. peacockii, a FLE, and several other genera (e.g., Ralstonia, Sphingobium, Comamonas and Pseudomonas). The bacteria detected in D. andersoni in the present study are consistent with the findings of other studies that have characterized the microbiome of this tick species in the USA using next generation sequencing. This result demonstrates that the SSCP-based approach used in this study is cost- and time-effective for examining bacterial composition in ticks.