Abstract
Argasid ticks are vectors of viral and bacterial agents of humans and animals. Recent reports indicate that some ornithophilic argasids harbored rickettsial agents. A Nearctic tick, Argas monolakensis Schwan, Corwin, Brown is ornithophilic and has not previously been examined for rickettsial agents. Thirty adult A. monolakensis were tested by PCR for DNA from Rickettsia or Coxiella. Amplicons from a Coxiella sp. that were divergent from Coxiella burnetii were detected in 16/30 A. monolakensis. These molecular isolates were similar but not identical to C. burnetii, the Coxiella spp. of other ticks, and “Coxiella cheraxi” a pathogen of crayfish.
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Acknowledgements
I thank T.G. Schwan for giving me access to freshly collected A. monolakensis and this project was partially funded by the American Society for Microbiology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The use of trade names in this document does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial hardware or software. Do not cite this document for advertisement.
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Reeves, W.K. Molecular evidence for a novel Coxiella from Argas monolakensis (Acari: Argasidae) from Mono Lake, California, USA. Exp Appl Acarol 44, 57–60 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9128-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9128-z