Transovarial Transmission of Francisella-Like Endosymbionts and Anaplasma phagocytophilum Variants in Dermacentor albipictus (Acari: Ixodidae)

Dermocentor albipictus (Packard) is it North American tick that feeds oil cervids and livestock. It is it suspected vector of anaplasmosis ill cattle, bot its microbial flora and vector potential remain underevaluated. We screened D. albipictus ticks collected from Minnesota white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for bacteria of the genera Anaplasma Ehrlichia, Francisella, mid Rickettsia using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) gene amplification and sequence analyses. We detected Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) in nymphal and adult ticks of both sexes in 45 and 94% prevalences, respectively. The A. phagocytophilum and FLEs were transovarially transmitted to F, larvae by individual ticks ill efficiencies of 10-40 and 95-100%, respectively. FLEs were transovarially transmitted to F(1) larvae obtained as of adults from F, larval ticks reared to maturity off if calf: but A. phagocytophilum were not. Based oil PCRH and tissue culture inoculation assays, A. phagocytophilum and FLEs were not transmitted to the calf, The amplified FLE 16S rRNA gene sequences were identical to that of an FLE detected in a D. albipictus from Texas, whereas those of the A. phagocytophilum were nearly identical to those of probable human-nonpathogenic A. phagocytophilum WI-1 and WI-2 variants detected in white-tailed deer from central Wisconsin. However, the D. albipictus A. phagocytophilum sequences differed from that of the nonpathogenic A. phagocytophilum variant-1 associated with Ixodes scapularis ticks and white-tailed deer its well its that of the human-pathogenic A. phagocytophilum ha variant associated with I. scapularis and the white-footed mouse,Peromyscus leucopus. The transovarial transmission of A. phagocytophilum variants in Dermacentor ticks suggests that maintenance of A. phagocytophilum in nature may not be solely dependent off horizontal transmission.