A seven-legged tick: Report of a morphological anomaly in Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) biting a human host from the Northeastern United States |
| |
| Institution: | 1. M.Sc. Program in Tropical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.;2. Institute of Wildlife Conservation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan, R.O.C.;3. Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.;1. Posgrado en Ciencias en Producción Agropecuaria, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Unidad Laguna, Periférico y carretera a Santa Fe, Torreón, Coahuila C.P. 27059, Mexico;2. SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain;3. UMR BIPAR, INRA, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d''Alfort, ANSES, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France;4. Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Brani?ovská 31, 37005 ?eské Budějovice, Czech Republic;5. Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Parasitology, Brani?ovská 31, 37005 ?eské Budějovice, Czech Republic.;6. Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA;7. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, Juriquilla, Querétaro C.P. 76230, Mexico |
| |
| Abstract: | Cases of morphological anomalies in the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), have recently been reported from the Northeastern and upper Midwestern United States, potentially complicating identification of this important vector of human disease-causing pathogens. We hereby report a case of a morphological anomaly in I. scapularis, biting a human host residing in Norwich, Connecticut. Using a dichotomous morphological key, high-resolution and scanning electron microscopy images, as well as DNA sequencing, the tick was identified as an adult female I. scapularis with three legs on the left side of the abdomen versus four on the right side, which we believe is the first case of ectromely in an adult I. scapularis. Using diagnostic genes in polymerase chain reaction, the specimen tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agents for Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, respectively, and also showed evidence of a rickettsial endosymbiont. Here we discuss recent reports of morphological anomalies in I. scapularis, and emphasize the significance of additional studies of teratology in this important tick species and its potential implications. |
| |
| Keywords: | Blacklegged tick Morphological anomaly Seven-legged tick Northeastern U S |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
