Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41888950›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2026

Bloodmeal analysis via COI-targeted DNA capture and enrichment identifies non-cattle hosts of Amblyomma variegatum on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Rebecca Ballard, Charles H D Williamson, Hayden Kleinschmidt, Greta Buckmeier, Jason W Sahl, Pia U Olafson, Jeffery T Alfred, Joseph D Busch, David M Wagner, Denise Bonilla and 1 more

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Article in Parasites & vectors, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Rebecca BallardPathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.
Charles H D WilliamsonPathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.
Hayden KleinschmidtPathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.
Greta BuckmeierUSDA, ARS, KBUSLIRL-LAPRU, 2700 Fredericksburg Rd., Kerrville, TX, 78028-9184, USA.
Jason W SahlPathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.
Pia U OlafsonUSDA, ARS, KBUSLIRL-LAPRU, 2700 Fredericksburg Rd., Kerrville, TX, 78028-9184, USA.
Jeffery T AlfredUSDA, APHIS, VS, NVSL, 1920 Dayton Ave, Ames, IA, 50010, USA.
Joseph D BuschPathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.
David M WagnerPathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA.
Denise BonillaUSDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services, 2150 Centre Ave, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA.
Nathan E StonePathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 4073, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA. Nathan.Stone@nau.edu.

Funding

USDA-APHIS-VS AP23VSSP0000C082
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAmblyomma variegatum threatens the Caribbean cattle industry owing to its role as a vector for Ehrlichia ruminantium, the obligate intracellular bacterium that causes heartwater disease, an economically important and potentially fatal ruminant disease. Amblyomma variegatum is also a public health concern as a vector for Rickettsia africae, the causative agent of African tick-bite fever. Efforts to eradicate A. variegatum on Caribbean islands are ongoing to protect cattle from disease and prevent the spread of the vector and diseases to the American mainland. However, reinfestations often occur, possibly owing to the maintenance of ticks by non-cattle hosts that escape treatment. St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands has experienced such eradication challenges.

methodsTo determine whether persistence of A. variegatum populations on non-cattle hosts contributes to cattle reinfestation on St. Croix, we analyzed 1 non-attached A. variegatum adult female collected from a human and 14 questing adult females collected via cloth dragging along vegetation transects in Lower Love, St. Croix, during 2023. We conducted host bloodmeal analysis by obtaining vertebrate cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences from A. variegatum DNA extracts using COI-targeted DNA capture and enrichment to identify the most recent host bloodmeal. We also screened tick DNA extracts for E. ruminantium and Rickettsia DNA using pCS20 Sol1 and PanR8 qPCR, respectively. Rickettsia species identification was determined using ompA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analysis.

resultsWe identified vertebrate COI sequences for the genera Capra and Canis in two A. variegatum ticks. Although E. ruminantium was not detected, DNA from R. africae was present in all 15 ticks.

conclusionsThese results suggest that goats, and possibly canines, may serve as alternative hosts for A. variegatum on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, which complicates eradication efforts focused entirely on the treatment of cattle. Fortunately, E. ruminantium was not identified in any ticks. However, R. africae was ubiquitous, which may be of concern for public health.

Indexed as

AmblyommaElectron Transport Complex IVTick InfestationsAnimalsCattleEhrlichia ruminantiumFemaleHeartwater DiseaseHumansRickettsiaUnited States Virgin IslandsElectron Transport Complex IVAfrican tick-bite feverBloodmeal analysisHeartwater diseaseTropical bont tick

Identifiers

PMID41888950
PMCPMC13141529

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.