title: Larval Gulf Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) [Acari: Ixodidae] as host for Hepatozoon americanum [Apicomplexa: Adeleorina].
abstract: Laboratory-reared larval Gulf Coast ticks (GCTs) (Amblyomma maculatum) were exposed experimentally and found to acquire Hepatozoon americanum infection while feeding on parasitemic dogs. These ticks supported gamogonic and sporogonic development of the apicomplexan, and oocysts from newly molted nymphs were infectious for a dog. Other nymphs from this cohort that were allowed to feed on a blood-parasite naive sheep molted normally; the resulting adult ticks contained oocysts that were infectious for another dog. Merogonic development of H. americanum in the dogs and the resulting lesions/disease appeared similar, irrespective of whether infectious oocysts were derived from nymphal or adult ticks that acquired infection as larvae. In the system previously known, nymphal ticks acquire infection and adults harbor infective oocysts, which vertebrate hosts ingest. Given that larval A. maculatum can acquire infection and nymphs can harbor viable oocysts as demonstrated by this study, the potential variety of vertebrate hosts that can alternate with GCTs in maintaining an endemic cycle is considerably expanded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-2006, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ewing
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: DuBois
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Panciera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D004285:Dogs; D016783:Eucoccidiida / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D007814:Larva; D009758:Nymph / Q000469:parasitology; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*