Molecular detection and genetic identification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) t
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Molecular detection and genetic identification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks of Taiwan Li‑Lian Chao1,2 · Chantel Tamar Castillo1 · Chien‑Ming Shih1,2,3 Received: 16 June 2020 / Accepted: 11 November 2020 / Published online: 16 November 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract The genetic identity of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks was determined for the first time in Taiwan. In total 1004 Rh. sanguineus ticks were examined for Wolbachia by polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene. The prevalence of Wolbachia infection was detected in nymphs, females, and males with an infection rate of 55.8, 39.8, and 44%, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships were analyzed by comparing the sequences of wsp gene obtained from 60 strains of Wolbachia representing 11 strains of supergroup A and 10 strains of supergroup B. In general, seven major clades of supergroup A and six major clades of supergroup B can be easily distinguished by neighbour-joining analysis and were congruent by maximum likelihood method. All these Wolbachia strains of Taiwan were genetically affiliated to supergroups A and B with high sequence similarity of 98.3–100% and 98.6–100%, respectively. Intra- and inter-group analysis based on the genetic distance (GD) values indicated a lower level (GD 0.576) of other Wolbachia strains, as well as a lower level (GD 0.246) of other Wolbachia strains. Our results provide the first genetic identification of Wolbachia endosymbiont in Rh. sanguineus ticks collected from Taiwan, and detection of Wolbachia in male and nymphal ticks may imply the possible mechanism of transstadial transmission in Rh. sanguineus ticks. Keywords Wolbachia · Rhipicephalus sanguineus · Tick · Genetic identity · Taiwan
* Chien‑Ming Shih [email protected] 1
M.Sc. Program in Tropical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan, Republic of China
2
Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China
3
Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Experimental and Applied Acarology (2021) 83:115–130
Introduction The hematophagous arthropod Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick) is the most widely spread tick species throughout the world. It is recognized as the dominant ectoparasite of dogs and is able to survive in the outdoor environment. Although Rh. sanguineus is defined as a three-host life cycle, it is a monotropic tick that can both feed and develop on the same host allowing for efficient maturation and multiplication of this species (Dantas-Torres 2010). The feeding host of Rh. sanguineus is mainly on dogs; however, cases of human infestation by Rh. sanguineus have also been described in various countries around the world (Goddard 1989; Felz et al. 1996; Manfred et al. 1999; Uspensky and Ioffe-Uspensk
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