Identification of Novel Viruses in Amblyomma americanum , Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis Ticks

• DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00614-17
• Publication Date: 2018-03-06T10:11:45Z
• Authors: Rafal Tokarz; Stephen Sameroff; Teresa Tagliafierro; Komal Jain; Simon H. Williams; D. Moses Cucura; Ilia Rochlin; Javier Monzon; Giovanna Carpi; Danielle Tufts; Maria Diuk-Wasser; Jory Brinkerhoff; W. Ian Lipkin
• Keywords: virome; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Ticks; Virome; I. scapularis; Natural Science; Microbiology; QR1-502; ticks; Research Article; 3. Good health

The incidence of tick-borne disease is increasing, driven by rapid geographical expansion of ticks and the discovery of new tick-associated pathogens. The examination of the tick microbiome is essential in order to understand the relationship between microbes and their tick hosts and to facilitate the identification of new tick-borne pathogens. Genomic analyses using unbiased high-throughput sequencing platforms have proven valuable for investigations of tick bacterial diversity, but the examination of tick viromes has historically not been well explored. By performing a comprehensive virome analysis of the three primary tick species associated with human disease in the United States, we gained substantial insight into tick virome diversity and can begin to assess a potential role of these viruses in the tick life cycle.