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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2014, Vol. 13 Issue (8): 1766-1771    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60517-1
Animal Science · Veterinary Science Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
The Midgut Bacterial Flora of Laboratory-Reared Hard Ticks, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Hyalomma asiaticum, and Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides
 LI  Chun-hong, CAO  Jie, ZHOU  Yong-zhi, ZHANG  Hou-shuang, GONG  Hai-yan , ZHOU  Jin-lin
Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology, Ministry of Agriculture/Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, P.R.China
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摘要  Ixodid ticks play an important role in the transmission of a variety of zoonoses of viral, bacterial and protozoan origin, and they also harbor a wealth of microorganisms. To gain more detailed insights into the potential interactions between bacterial flora and tick-borne pathogens, we investigated the midgut bacterial flora of laboratory-reared Haemaphysalis longicornis, Hyalomma asiaticum and Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides. Based on morphological, biochemical, and 16S rDNA sequencing results, we identified 15 species belonging to 12 genera in the midgut of the three ticks. The bacterial communities were similar to those found in other studies of hematophagous arthropods. Kocuria sp. was the most frequently isolated species and its 16S rDNA gene sequence was very similar to Kocuria koreensis P31T. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the bacterial flora of tick midguts and the results show that there were many different bacterial species in each tick species. Among the most common genera, there may have been a novel species in the genus Kocuria. The results might be the first step for looking for different aspects of the pathogen and tick interaction.

Abstract  Ixodid ticks play an important role in the transmission of a variety of zoonoses of viral, bacterial and protozoan origin, and they also harbor a wealth of microorganisms. To gain more detailed insights into the potential interactions between bacterial flora and tick-borne pathogens, we investigated the midgut bacterial flora of laboratory-reared Haemaphysalis longicornis, Hyalomma asiaticum and Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides. Based on morphological, biochemical, and 16S rDNA sequencing results, we identified 15 species belonging to 12 genera in the midgut of the three ticks. The bacterial communities were similar to those found in other studies of hematophagous arthropods. Kocuria sp. was the most frequently isolated species and its 16S rDNA gene sequence was very similar to Kocuria koreensis P31T. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the bacterial flora of tick midguts and the results show that there were many different bacterial species in each tick species. Among the most common genera, there may have been a novel species in the genus Kocuria. The results might be the first step for looking for different aspects of the pathogen and tick interaction.
Keywords:  bacteria       Kocuria sp.       tick midgut  
Received: 28 February 2013   Accepted:
Fund: 

This work was supported by grants from the Special Fund for National Commonweal Institute of China (2012JB12).

Corresponding Authors:  ZHOU Jin-lin, Tel: +86-21-34293138, E-mail: jinlinzhou@shvri.ac.cn   
About author:  LI Chun-hong, E-mail: lichunhong88928@163.com

Cite this article: 

LI Chun-hong, CAO Jie, ZHOU Yong-zhi, ZHANG Hou-shuang, GONG Hai-yan , ZHOU Jin-lin. 2014. The Midgut Bacterial Flora of Laboratory-Reared Hard Ticks, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Hyalomma asiaticum, and Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13(8): 1766-1771.

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