Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi are two tick-borne bacteria that cause disease in people and animals. For each of these bacteria, there is a complex of closely related genospecies and/or strains that are genetically distinct and have been shown through both observational and experimental studies to have different host tropisms. In this review we compare the known ecologies of these two bacterial complexes in the far western USA and find remarkable similarities, which will help us understand evolutionary histories and coadaptation among vertebrate host, tick vector, and bacteria. For both complexes, sensu stricto genospecies (those that infect humans) share a similar geographic range, are vectored mainly by ticks in the Ixodes ricinus-complex, utilize mainly white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) as a reservoir in the eastern USA and tree squirrels in the far west, and tend to be generalists, infecting a wider variety of vertebrate host species. Other sensu lato genospecies within each complex are generally more specialized, occurring often in local enzootic cycles within a narrow range of vertebrate hosts and specialized vector species. We suggest that these similar ecologies may have arisen through utilization of a generalist tick species as a vector, resulting in a potentially more virulent generalist pathogen that spills over into humans, vs. utilization of a specialized tick vector on a particular vertebrate host species, promoting microbe specialization. Such tight host-vector-pathogen coupling could also facilitate high enzootic prevalence and the evolution of host immune-tolerance and bacterial avirulence.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 26 |
| Journal | Veterinary Sciences |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2016 |
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Keywords
- Anaplasma spp.
- Anaplasmosis
- Borrelia spp.
- Borreliosis
- Diversity
- Lyme disease
- Reservoirs
- Western gray squirrel
- Woodrat
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- veterinary(all)
Cite this
Parallelisms and contrasts in the diverse ecologies of the Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi complexes of bacteria in the farwestern United States. / Stephenson, Nicole; Foley, Janet E.
In: Veterinary Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 4, 26, 01.12.2016.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Parallelisms and contrasts in the diverse ecologies of the Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi complexes of bacteria in the farwestern United States
AU - Stephenson, Nicole
AU - Foley, Janet E
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi are two tick-borne bacteria that cause disease in people and animals. For each of these bacteria, there is a complex of closely related genospecies and/or strains that are genetically distinct and have been shown through both observational and experimental studies to have different host tropisms. In this review we compare the known ecologies of these two bacterial complexes in the far western USA and find remarkable similarities, which will help us understand evolutionary histories and coadaptation among vertebrate host, tick vector, and bacteria. For both complexes, sensu stricto genospecies (those that infect humans) share a similar geographic range, are vectored mainly by ticks in the Ixodes ricinus-complex, utilize mainly white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) as a reservoir in the eastern USA and tree squirrels in the far west, and tend to be generalists, infecting a wider variety of vertebrate host species. Other sensu lato genospecies within each complex are generally more specialized, occurring often in local enzootic cycles within a narrow range of vertebrate hosts and specialized vector species. We suggest that these similar ecologies may have arisen through utilization of a generalist tick species as a vector, resulting in a potentially more virulent generalist pathogen that spills over into humans, vs. utilization of a specialized tick vector on a particular vertebrate host species, promoting microbe specialization. Such tight host-vector-pathogen coupling could also facilitate high enzootic prevalence and the evolution of host immune-tolerance and bacterial avirulence.
AB - Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi are two tick-borne bacteria that cause disease in people and animals. For each of these bacteria, there is a complex of closely related genospecies and/or strains that are genetically distinct and have been shown through both observational and experimental studies to have different host tropisms. In this review we compare the known ecologies of these two bacterial complexes in the far western USA and find remarkable similarities, which will help us understand evolutionary histories and coadaptation among vertebrate host, tick vector, and bacteria. For both complexes, sensu stricto genospecies (those that infect humans) share a similar geographic range, are vectored mainly by ticks in the Ixodes ricinus-complex, utilize mainly white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) as a reservoir in the eastern USA and tree squirrels in the far west, and tend to be generalists, infecting a wider variety of vertebrate host species. Other sensu lato genospecies within each complex are generally more specialized, occurring often in local enzootic cycles within a narrow range of vertebrate hosts and specialized vector species. We suggest that these similar ecologies may have arisen through utilization of a generalist tick species as a vector, resulting in a potentially more virulent generalist pathogen that spills over into humans, vs. utilization of a specialized tick vector on a particular vertebrate host species, promoting microbe specialization. Such tight host-vector-pathogen coupling could also facilitate high enzootic prevalence and the evolution of host immune-tolerance and bacterial avirulence.
KW - Anaplasma spp.
KW - Anaplasmosis
KW - Borrelia spp.
KW - Borreliosis
KW - Diversity
KW - Lyme disease
KW - Reservoirs
KW - Western gray squirrel
KW - Woodrat
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85038869462&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85038869462&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/vetsci3040026
DO - 10.3390/vetsci3040026
M3 - Review article
VL - 3
JO - Veterinary Sciences
JF - Veterinary Sciences
SN - 2306-7381
IS - 4
M1 - 26
ER -