Ticks without borders: microbiome of immature neotropical tick species parasitizing migratory songbirds along northern Gulf of Mexico
Microbial profiles showed that Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum. The most abundant pathogens were <i>Rickettsia</i> and endosymbiont <i>Francisella</i>, <i>Candidatus Midichloria</i>, and <i>Spiroplasma</i>. Permutation multivariate analysis of variance revealed that the relative abundance of <i>Francisella</i> and <i>Rickettsia</i> drives microbial patterns across the tick genera. We also noted a higher percentage of positive correlations in microbe-microbe interactions among members of the microbial communities. Network analysis suggested a negative correlation between a) <i>Francisella</i> and <i>Rickettsia</i> and, b) <i>Francisella</i> and <i>Cutibacterium</i>. Lastly, mapping the distributions of bird species parasitized during spring migrations highlighted geographic hotspots where migratory songbirds could disperse ticks and their pathogens at stopover sites or upon arrival to their breeding grounds, the latter showing mean dispersal distances from 421-5003 kilometers. These findings spotlight the potential role of migratory birds in the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens.
Authors
- Daniel J. Becker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4315-8628)
- Lorenza Béati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4848-9701)
- Shahid Karim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5596-3304)
- Mario Keko
- Theodore J. Zenzal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7342-1373)
- Latoyia P. Downs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5951-1011)
- Abdulsalam Adegoke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2390-4435)
- Deepak Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4535-4174)
- Frank R. Moore (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7792-1973)
- R Sen
- Ashly Nussbaum
Institutions
- United States Geological Survey (US)
- Georgia Southern University (US)
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
- University of Southern Mississippi (US)
- University of Oklahoma (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
- Published
- 2024-11-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1472598
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.09
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of State
- University of Southern Mississippi
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
- Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence
- National Institutes of Health
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences