title: Infection prevalences of common tick-borne pathogens in adult lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) and American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) in Kentucky.
abstract: Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis are tick-borne diseases that are reported annually in Kentucky. We conducted a survey to describe infection prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected in Kentucky. During 2007-2008, we collected 287 ticks (179 D. variabilis and 108 A. americanum) from canine, feral hog, horse, raccoon, white-tailed deer, and human hosts in six counties in Kentucky. Ticks were screened for Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., and Ehrlichia spp. by using polymerase chain reaction. Forty-one (14.3%) ticks (31 A. americanum and 10 D. variabilis) were polymerase chain reaction-positive for a Rickettsia spp. Fourteen (4.9%) ticks (6 A. americanum and 8 D. variabilis) were positive for E. chaffeensis, and 4 A. americanum (1.4%) were positive for E. ewingii. One (0.4%) A. americanum was positive for Borrelia lonestari. Although Rocky Mountain spotted fever is diagnosed in Kentucky, no R. rickettsii was found in ticks in this study.
authors: Tennessee Department of Health, Vector-Borne Diseases Section, Communicable and Environmental Diseases, Nashville, USA. cmn37@cornell.edu
authors: Charissa M
authors: CM
authors: Fritzen
authors: Junjun
authors: J
authors: Huang
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Westby
authors: James D
authors: JD
authors: Freye
authors: Brett
authors: B
authors: Dunlap
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Yabsley
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Schardein
authors: John R
authors: JR
authors: Dunn
authors: Timothy F
authors: TF
authors: Jones
authors: Abelardo C
authors: AC
authors: Moncayo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors; D001898:Borrelia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012287:Rickettsiaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013045:Species Specificity; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D013987:Ticks / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*