Biology subjects

Teel, P. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Teel, P. D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

An open source MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry database for the identification of North American tick species of medical and veterinary importance.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a fast emerging and robust method for rapid and accurate characterization of arthropod vectors. Correct identification of ticks is key in monitoring medically or veterinary relevant species and associated pathogens. It has been extensively used for tick identification based on leg proteins; however, in North America, MALDI-TOF MS has not been explored for comprehensive identification of ticks, except for a few studies focusing on a limited number of species. Herein, we have generated proteomic spectral profiles of nine North American tick species belonging to five genera obtained from laboratory-maintained colonies. From the 407 high-quality MS spectra generated in this study, 44 were deposited in our newly made database and used as reference. All remaining MS spectra were used to query and validate the database. All specimens were identified correctly to the species level using MALDI-TOF MS, with reliable Log Score Values (LSVs) ranging from 1.72 to 2.86, and median and mean values of 2.41 and 2.40, respectively. A single exception noted: an Amblyomma mixtum was misidentified as Amblyomma tenellum. As a cost-effective, user-friendly, and high-throughput method, MALDI-TOF MS can serve as an alternative for accurately identifying tick species of veterinary and public health importance in North America, thereby supporting tick-borne disease surveillance efforts.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Science abhors a surveillance vacuum: detection of ticks and tick-borne bacteria in southern New Mexico through passive surveillance

Robust tick surveillance enhances diagnosis and prevention of tick-borne pathogens, yet surveillance efforts in the U.S. are highly uneven, resulting in large surveillance vacuums, one of which spans the state of New Mexico. As part of a larger effort to fill this vacuum, we conducted both active and passive tick sampling in New Mexico, focusing on the southern portion of the state. We conducted active tick sampling using dragging and CO2 trapping at 45 sites across Hidalgo, Dona Ana, Otero, and Eddy counties periodically between June 2021 and August 2022. We also conducted opportunistic, passive tick sampling in 2021 and 2022 from animals harvested by hunters or captured or collected by researchers and animals housed in animal hospitals, shelters, and farms. All pools of ticks were screened for Rickettsia rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommatis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and E. chaffeensis. Active sampling yielded no ticks. Passive sampling yielded 497 ticks comprising Carios kelleyi from pallid bats, Rhipicephalus sanguineus from dogs, mule deer, and Rocky Mountain elk, Otobius megnini from dogs, cats, horses, and Coues deer, Dermacentor parumapertus from dogs and black-tailed jackrabbits, D. albipictus from domesticated cats, mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk, and Dermacentor spp. from American black bear, Rocky Mountain elk, and mule deer. One pool of D. parumapterus from a black-tailed jackrabbit in Luna County tested positive for R. parkeri, an agent of spotted fever rickettsiosis. Additionally, a spotted fever group Rickettsia was detected in 6 of 7 Carios kelleyi pools. Two ticks showed morphological abnormalities; however, these samples did not test positive for any of the target pathogens, and the cause of the abnormalities is unknown. Passive surveillance yielded five identified species of ticks from three domestic and six wild mammal species. One tick pool from a black-tailed jackrabbit was found to harbor Rickettsia parkeri, and six pools of Carios kelleyi ticks, argasid ticks that have been reported to bite humans, were found to harbor a spotted fever group Rickettsia. Our findings update tick distributions and inform the public, medical, and veterinary communities of the potential tick-borne pathogens present in southern New Mexico.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2023

Bloodmeal metabarcoding of the argasid tick (Ornithodoros turicata Duges) reveals extensive vector-host associations

Molecular methods to understand host feeding patterns of arthropod vectors are critical to assess exposure risk to vector-borne disease and unveil complex ecological interactions. We build on our prior work discovering the utility of PCR-Sanger sequencing bloodmeal analysis that work remarkably well for soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae), unlike for hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), thanks to their unique physiology that retains vertebrate DNA from prior bloodmeals viable for years. Here, we capitalize on this feature and apply bloodmeal metabarcoding using amplicon deep sequencing to identify multiple host species in individual Ornithodoros turicata soft ticks collected from two natural areas in Texas, United States. Of 788 collected O. turicata, 394 were evaluated for bloodmeal source via metabarcoding, revealing 27 different vertebrate host species (17 mammals, 5 birds, 1 reptile, and 4 amphibians) fed upon by 274 soft ticks. Information on multiple hosts for individual O. turicata was derived from 168 of these (61%). Metabarcoding revealed more mixed vertebrate bloodmeals in O. turicata previously processed using Sanger sequencing. These data reveal wide host range of O. turicata and demonstrate the value of bloodmeal metabarcoding for understanding the ecology for known and potential tick-borne pathogens circulating among humans, domestic animals and wildlife such as relapsing fever caused by Borrelia turicatae. Our results also document, for the first time an off-host soft tick collected to have evidence of prior feeding on wild pig which is a critical observation in the context of the threat of enzootic transmission of African swine fever virus if it were introduced to the US. This research enhances our understanding of vector-host associations and offers a promising perspective for biodiversity monitoring and disease control strategies.

ecology↗