INTEGRATED PHENOTYPIC AND GENOTYPIC APPROACH FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF LOCAL QUESTING HARD TICK, Dermacentor compactus (ACARI: IXODIDAE)

Ernieenor Faraliana Che Lah, Ai Takano, Ernna George, Mariana Ahamad

Abstract


Identification of a tick species, Dermacentor compactus (Acari: Ixodidae) from Malaysia is still debatable in many aspects and remains poorly studied, especially on the immature stages. This study was conducted to characterize morphologically and molecularly of the D. compactus ticks collected from a forest reserve near the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM). A total of three adults (two females and one male) of questing D. compactus ticks on lower vegetation or shrubs were collected by handpicking. Species identification was conducted based on specific illustrated taxonomic keys, and molecular characteristics of D. compactus was analyzed based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene (mt-rrs). A neighbor-joining tree was constructed to clarify the genetic variation of the D. compactus. Clustering analysis using mt-rrs gene revealed that the sequences of the D. compactus were formed in a monophyletic clade supported with 100% bootstrap value. Furthermore, a low intraspecific variation (1%) was observed amongst the species of D. compactus. Meanwhile, genetic distance of the D. compactus also supported that the species is genetically distinct from the other Dermacentor species with a high interspecific value (>13%). To our knowledge, this study reported the first of 16S sequences of the D. compactus from Malaysia. These present results will contribute to the existing genotypic data of this species from Malaysia, thus merit further investigation as potential vector that related to any tick-borne diseases.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Apanaskevich, D.A. 2016. First description of the nymph and larva of Dermacentor compactus Neumann, 1901 (Acari: Ixodiade), parasites of squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Southeast Asia. Systematic Parasitology 93(4): 355-365.

Apanaskevich, D.A. & Apanaskevich, M.A. 2015a. Description of new Dermacentor (Acari: Ixodidae) species from Malaysia and Vietnam. Journal of Medical Entomology 52(2): 156-162.

Apanaskevich, D.A. & Apanaskevich, M.A. 2015b. Description of new Dermacentor (Acari: Ixodiade) species from Thailand and Vietnam. Journal of Medical Entomology 52(5): 806-812.

Apanaskevich, D.A., Vongphayloth, K., Jeangkhwoa, P., Chaloemthanetphong, A., Ahantarig, A., Apanaskevich, M.A., Brey, P.T., Lakeomany, K. & Trinachartvanit, W. 2020. Description of a new species of Dermacentor Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the mountains of Laos and Thailand. Systematic Parasitology 97(4): 347-355.

Barker, S.C. & Murrell, A. 2004. Systematics and evolution of ticks with a list of valid genus and species names. Parasitology 129: S15-36.

Black, W.C. & Piesman, J. 1994. Phylogeny of hard- and soft-tick taxa (Acari: Ixodida) based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the USA 91(21): 10034-10038.

Chae, J.B., Kang, J.G., Kim, H.C., Chong, S.T., Lee, I.Y., Shin, N.S. & Chae, J.S. 2017. Identification of tick species collected from wild boars and habitats of wild boars and domestic pigs in the Republic of Korea. The Korean Journal of Parasitology 55(2): 185-191.

Chong, S.T., Kim, H.C., Lee, I.Y., Jr Kollar, T.M., Sancho, A.R., Sames, W.J., Chae, J.S. & Klein, T.A. 2013. Seasonal distribution of ticks in four habitats near the demilitarized zone, Gyeonggi-do (Province), Republic of Korea. The Korean Journal of Parasitology 51(3): 319-325.

Ernieenor, F.C.L., Apanaskevich, D.A., Ernna, G. & Mariana, A. 2020. Description and characterization of questing hard tick, Dermacentor steini (Acari: Ixodidae) in Malaysia based on phenotypic and genotypic traits. Experimental and Applied Acarology 80(1): 137-149.

Ernieenor, F.C.L., Ernna, G. & Mariana, A. 2017. Phenotypic and genotypic identification of hard ticks of the genus Haemaphysalis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Peninsular Malaysia. Experimental and Applied Acarology 71(4): 387-400.

Estrada-Pena, A., Ayllon, N. & de-la Fuente, J. 2012. Impact of climate trends on tick-borne pathogen transmission. Frontiers in Physiology 3: 64.

Estrada-Pena, A., D'Amico, G., Palomar, A.M., Dupraz, M., Fonville, M., Heylen, D., Habela, M.A., Hornok, S., Lempereur, L. Madder, M., Nuncio, M.S., Otranto, D., Pfaffle, M., Plantard, O., Santos-Silva, M.M., Sprong, H., Vatansever, Z., Vial, L. & Mihalca, A.D. 2017. Comparative test of ixodid tick identification by a network of European researchers. Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases 8(4): 540-546.

Hall, T.A. 1999. BioEdit: a user-friendly biological sequence alignment editor and analysis program for Window 95/98/NT. Nucleic Acids Symposium Series 41: 95–98.

Ho, T.M. & Krishnasamy, M. 1991. Ectoparasitic acari and endoparasites of small mammals in Taman Negara. A special issue to commemorate the Golden jubilee of Taman Negara 1939-1989. Journal of Wildlife and Parks 10: 54-61.

Hoogstraal, H. & Wassef, H.Y. 1984. Dermacentor (Indocentor) compactus (Acari: Ixodoidea: Ixodidae): wild pigs and other hosts and distribution in Malaysia, Indonesia and Borneo. Journal of Medical Entomology 21(2): 174-178.

Ishak, N.B., Lim, F.S., Khoo, J.J. & Mohd-Taib, F.S. 2019. Screening of Rickettsia sp. in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected from small mammals in three recreational forests in Selangor. Serangga 24(1): 116-125.

Khoo, J.J., Lim, F.S., Chen, F., Phoon, W.H., Khor, C.S., Pike, B.L., Chang, L.Y. & AbuBakar, S. 2016. Coxiella detection in ticks from wildlife and livestock in Malaysia. Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 16(12): 744-751.

Kisomi, M.G., Wong, L.P., Tay, S.T., Bulgiba, A., Zandi, K., Kho, K.L., Koh, F.X., Ong, B.L., Jaafar, T. & Nizam, Q.N.H. 2016. Factors associated with tick bite preventive practices among farmworkers in Malaysia. PLoS One 11: e0157987.

Kohls, G.M. 1957. Malaysian Parasites XVII. Tick (Ixodoidea) of Borneo and Malaya. Studies of Institute for Medical Research, Malaya 28: 65–94.

Kolonin, G.V. 1995. Review of the ixodid tick fauna (Acari: Ixodidae) of Vietnam. Journal of Medical Entomology 32(3): 276-282.

Krakowetz, C.N., Dergousoff, S.J. & Chilton, N.B. 2010. Genetic variation in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae). Journal of Vector Ecology 35(1): 163-173.

Kumar, S., Stecher, G. & Tamura, K. 2016. MEGA7: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 7.0 for bigger datasets. Molecular Biology and Evolution 33(7): 1870–1874.

Li, H.Y., Zhao, S.S., Hornok, S., Farkas, R., Guo, L.P., Chen, C.F., Shao, R.F., Lv, J.Z. & Wang, Y.Z. 2017. Morphological and molecular divergence of Rhipicephalus turanicus tick from Albania and China. Experimental and Applied Acarology 73(3-4): 493-499.

Li, Z.B., Liu, G.H. & Cheng, T.Y. 2018. Molecular characterization of hard tick Haemaphysalis longicornis from China by sequences of the internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal DNA. Experimental and Applied Acarology 74(2): 171-176.

Lv, J., Wu, S., Zhang, Y., Zhang, T., Feng, C., Jia, G. & Lin, X. 2014a. Development of a DNA barcoding system for the Ixodida (Acari: Ixodida). Mitochondrial DNA 25(2): 142-149.

Lv, J., Wu, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, Y., Feng, C., Yuan, X., Jia, G., Deng, J., Wang, C., Wang, Q., Mei, L. & Lin, X. 2014b. Assessment of four DNA segments (COI, 16S rDNA, ITS2, 12S rDNA) for species identification of the Ixodida (Acari: Ixodida). Parasites Vectors 7: 93–114.

Madinah, A., Nur Akifah, M.J., Raja Nur Atiqah, R.A., Mariana, A. & Abdullah, M.J. 2021. Ectoparasites fauna of rodents and scandents at different habitats of Sarawak, Malaysia. Serangga 26(2): 26-46.

Mangold, A.J., Bargues, M.D. & Mas-Coma, S. 1998. Mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences and phylogenetic relationships of species of Rhipicephalus and other tick genera among Metastriata (Acari: Ixodidae). Parasitology Research 84(6): 478- 484.

Mariana, A., Mohd Kulaimi, B., Halimaton, I., Suhaili, Z.A., Shahrul-Anuar, M.S., Zalipah, M.N. & Ho, T.M. 2011. Acarine ectoparasites of Panti Forest Reserve in Johore, Malaysia. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 1(1): 1-5.

Mariana, A., Srinovianti, N., Ho, T.M., Halimaton, I., Hatikah, A., Shaharudin, M.H., Rosmaliza, I., Wan Ishlah, L. & Sathananthar, K.S. 2008a. Intra-aural ticks (Metastigmata: Ixodidae) from human otoacariasis cases in Pahang, Malaysia. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 1(3): 20-24.

Mariana, A., Zuraidawati, Z., Ho, T.M., Mohd Kulaimi, B., Saleh, I., Shukor, M.N. & Shahrul-Anuar, M.S. 2008b. Ticks (Ixodidae) and other ectoparasites in Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah, Malaysia. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 39(3): 496-506.

Mohd-Taib, F.S., Md-Lasim, A., Asyikha, R., Ali, R., & Ishak, N.B. 2018. A preliminary survey of ectoparasites of small mammals in Pangkor Island, Perak, Malaysia. Serangga 23(2): 73-82.

Norris, D.E., Klompen, J.S.H. & Black, W.C. 1999. Comparison of the mitochondrial 12S and 16S ribosomal DNA gene in resolving phylogenetic relationships among hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 92(1): 117-129.

Perry, K.L. 2014. Molecular phylogenetic relationships of North American Dermacentor ticks using mitochondrial gene sequences. Master of Science in Biology. Georgia Southern University, United States. [Electronic Theses & Dissertations]

Petney, T.N., Boulanger, N., Saijuntha, W., Chitimia-Dobler, L., Pfeffer, M., Eamudomkarn, C., Andrews R.H., Ahamad, M., Putthasorn, N., Muders, S.V., Petney, D.A. & Robbins, R.G. 2019. Ticks (Argasidae: Ixodidae) and tick-borne diseases of continental Southeast Asia. Zootaxa 4558(1): 1–89.

Petney, T.N. & Keirans, J.E. 1996. Ticks of the genera Boophilus, Dermacentor, Nosomma and Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Southeast Asia. Tropical Biomedicine 13: 73-84.

Petney, T.N., Kolonin, G.V. & Robbins, R.G. 2007. Southeast Asian ticks (Acari: Ixodida): a historical perspective. Parasitology Research 101: S201-205.

Rees, D.J., Diolli, M. & Kirkendall, L.R. 2003. Molecules and morphology: evidence for cryptic hybridization in African Hyalomma (Acari: Ixodidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 27(1): 131-142.

Shabrina, M.S. 1990. Ectoparasites of small mammals trapped at the Ulu Gombak Forests, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Journal Wildlife and Parks 9: 9-17.

Soltan-Alinejad, P., Ramezani, Z., Edalat, H., Telmadarraiy, Z., Dabiri, F., Vatandoost, H., Oshaghi, M.A., Mohebali, M., Seyyed-Zadeh, S.J., Zarei, Z., Hanifian, H. & Faghihi, F. 2020. Molecular characterization of Ribosomal DNA (ITS2) of hard ticks in Iran: understanding the conspecificity of Dermacentor marginatus and D. niveus. BMC Research Notes 13(1): 478.

Sun, Y. & Xu, R.M. 2013. The genus Dermacentor and the subgenus Indocentor (Acari: Ixodidae) from China. Oriental Insects 47(2-3): 155-168.

Takano, A., Fujita, H., Kadosaka, T., Takahashi, M., Yamauchi, T., Ishiguro, F., Takada, N., Yano, Y., Oikawa, Y., Honda, T., Gokuden, M., Tsunoda, T., Tsurumi, M., Ando, S., Andoh, M., Sato, K. & Kawabata, H. 2104. Construction of a DNA database for ticks collected in Japan: application of molecular identification based on the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene. Medical Entomology and Zoology 65(1): 13-21.

Ushijima, Y., Oliver, J.H., Jr Keirans, J.E., Tsurumi, M., Kawabata, H., Watanabe, H. & Fukunaga, M. 2003. Mitochondrial sequence variation in Carlos capensis (Neumann), a parasite of seabirds, collected on Torishima Island in Japan. The Journal of Parasitology 89(1): 196-198.

Wassef, H.Y. & Hoogstraal, H. 1983. Dermacentor (Indocentor) compactus (Acari: Ixodoidea: Ixodidae): Identity of male and female. Journal of Medical Entomology 20(6): 648-652.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.