Phylogeography of the blacklegged tick ( Ixodes scapularis ) throughout the USA identifies candidate loci for differences in vectorial capacity
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- Department of Environmental Health Science University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA, Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Odom School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Aiken South Carolina 29808 USA, Division of Sciences, School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences Krea University Sri City Andhra Pradesh India
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 USA
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA, School of Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011 USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University Stillwater Oklahoma 74078 USA
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan 48824 USA
- Illinois Natural History Survey University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Champaign Illinois 61820 USA
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA, Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Odom School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
- Department of Environmental Health Science University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
Abstract The blacklegged tick ( Ixodes scapularis ( Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia , 1821, 2 , 59)) is a vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto ( s.s .) ( International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology , 1984, 34 , 496), the causative bacterial agent of Lyme disease, part of a slow‐moving epidemic of Lyme borreliosis spreading across the northern hemisphere. Well‐known geographical differences in the vectorial capacity of these ticks are associated with genetic variation. Despite the need for detailed genetic information in this disease system, previous phylogeographical studies of these ticks have been restricted to relatively few populations or few genetic loci. Here we present the most comprehensive phylogeographical study of genome‐wide markers in I. scapularis , conducted by using 3RAD (triple‐enzyme restriction‐site associated sequencing) and surveying 353 ticks from 33 counties throughout the species' range. We found limited genetic variation among populations from the Northeast and Upper Midwest, where Lyme disease is most common, and higher genetic variation among populations from the South. We identify five spatially associated genetic clusters of I. scapularis . In regions where Lyme disease is increasing in frequency, the I. scapularis populations genetically group with ticks from historically highly Lyme‐endemic regions. Finally, we identify 10 variable DNA sites that contribute the most to population differentiation. These variable sites cluster on one of the chromosome‐scale scaffolds for I. scapularis and are within identified genes. Our findings illuminate the need for additional research to identify loci causing variation in the vectorial capacity of I. scapularis and where additional tick sampling would be most valuable to further understand disease trends caused by pathogens transmitted by I. scapularis .
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Science Foundation (NSF); USDA; USDOE; USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FC09-07SR22506
- OSTI ID:
- 1968627
- Journal Information:
- Molecular Ecology, Journal Name: Molecular Ecology Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 32; ISSN 0962-1083
- Publisher:
- Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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