title: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for rapid identification of tick vectors.
abstract: A method for rapid species identification of ticks may help clinicians predict the disease outcomes of patients with tick bites and may inform the decision as to whether to administer postexposure prophylactic antibiotic treatment. We aimed to establish a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) spectrum database based on the analysis of the legs of six tick vectors: Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, and Dermacentor reticulatus. A blind test was performed on a trial set of ticks to identify specimens of each species. Subsequently, we used MALDI-TOF MS to identify ticks obtained from the wild or removed from patients. The latter tick samples were also identified by 12S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing and were tested for bacterial infections. Ticks obtained from the wild or removed from patients (R. sanguineus, I. ricinus, and D. marginatus) were accurately identified using MALDI-TOF MS, with the exception of those ticks for which no spectra were available in the database. Furthermore, one damaged specimen was correctly identified as I. ricinus, a vector of Lyme disease, using MALDI-TOF MS only. Six of the 14 ticks removed from patients were found to be infected by pathogens that included Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Borrelia spp. MALDI-TOF MS appears to be an effective tool for the rapid identification of tick vectors that requires no previous expertise in tick identification. The benefits for clinicians include the more targeted surveillance of patients for symptoms of potentially transmitted diseases and the ability to make more informed decisions as to whether to administer postexposure prophylactic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod Borne Bacterial Diseases, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yssouf
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flaudrops
authors.forename: Rezak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Drali
authors.forename: Tahar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kernif
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Socolovschi
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Berenger
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods; D013987:Ticks / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal