Journal article
Detection of a novel Rickettsia (Alphaproteobacteria: Rickettsiales) in rotund ticks (Ixodes kingi) from Saskatchewan, Canada
CA Anstead, NB Chilton
Ticks and Tick Borne Diseases | ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG | Published : 2013
Abstract
A novel Rickettsia was detected in the rotund tick, Ixodes kingi Bishopp, 1911, based on comparative DNA sequence analyses of 4 genes; the rickettsial-specific 17-kDa antigen gene, citrate synthase gene (gltA), the outer surface membrane protein A gene (ompA), and the 16S rRNA gene. The rickettsiae in I. kingi differed in nucleotide sequence from those of other Rickettsia species by 5.8-18.3% for the 17-kDa gene, 0.9-13.9% for gltA, 5.5-22.8% for ompA, and 0.9-1.6% for the 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequence data revealed that this putative new species of Rickettsia, provisionally named Candidatus Rickettsia kingi, does not belong to the spotted fever group or typhus group o..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This work was approved by the University of Saskatchewan's Animal Research Ethics Board, and adhered to the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines for humane animal use. Financial support for this work was provided (to NBC) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. A Margaret McKay scholarship and a University of Saskatchewan Graduate Scholarship provided financial support to CAA. We are grateful to Dr. C Todd for his assistance in collecting ticks.