Telford Iii Sam R, Goethert Heidi K, Cunningham Jenny A
Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
Open Microbiol J. 2011;5:18-20. doi: 10.2174/1874285801105010018. Epub 2011 May 4.
Human ehrlichiosis is due to infection by tick transmitted bacteria of the genus Ehrlichia. Based on a hypothesis for the biogeography of deer tick transmitted infections, we undertook a focused search for the Eurasian E. muris in North American deer ticks. The search was stimulated by anecdotal reports of E. muris-like infection in human ehrlichiosis patients from Wisconsin. We analyzed archived adult deer ticks collected in northern Wisconsin during the 1990s by specific polymerase chain reaction for evidence of infection, and sequenced amplification products to identify E. muris. About 1% of 760 adult deer ticks collected from Spooner, Wisconsin in the 1990s contained E. muris DNA. We conclude that E. muris was present in North American deer ticks a decade ago and is likely to infect this human biting vector elsewhere in the U.S. Biogeographic theory and molecular phylogenetic methods can facilitate a targeted search for potential zoonoses.
人埃立克体病是由蜱传播的埃立克体属细菌感染所致。基于鹿蜱传播感染生物地理学的一个假说，我们对北美鹿蜱中的欧亚鼠埃立克体进行了重点搜索。此次搜索是受到来自威斯康星州人类埃立克体病患者中类似鼠埃立克体感染的传闻报告的启发。我们通过特异性聚合酶链反应分析了20世纪90年代在威斯康星州北部采集的存档成年鹿蜱，以寻找感染证据，并对扩增产物进行测序以鉴定鼠埃立克体。20世纪90年代从威斯康星州斯普纳采集的760只成年鹿蜱中，约1%含有鼠埃立克体DNA。我们得出结论，十年前北美鹿蜱中就存在鼠埃立克体，并且很可能在美国其他地方感染这种叮咬人类的媒介。生物地理学理论和分子系统发育方法有助于有针对性地搜索潜在的人畜共患病。
