A deer was needle-exposed intravenously to Ehrlichia chaffeensis (Rickettsiales: Ehrlichieae) in canine macrophage (DH82) cells and 7 days later was infested with laboratory-reared Amblyomma maculatum (Koch) (Acari:Ixodidae) nymphs for acquisition feeding. After molting, the adult ticks were allowed to feed on a naive deer. The organism was reisolated from the needle-exposed deer by cell culture and E. chaffeensis DNA was detected in the deer's blood by PCR. Similar isolation/recovery techniques were used for the tick-exposed deer and no evidence of infection was found. Although these findings must be considered as preliminary owing to inadequate controls, the data suggest that A. maculatum is probably not a suitable vector for E. chaffeensis.
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1 July 2000
Attempted Transmission of Ehrlichia chaffeensis among White-tailed Deer by Amblyomma maculatum
A. Alan Kocan,
S. A. Ewing,
David Stallknecht,
George L. Murphy,
Susan Little,
Lisa C. Whitworth,
R. W. Barker
Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 36 • No. 3
July 2000
Vol. 36 • No. 3
July 2000
Amblyomma maculatum
experimental infection
Gulf Coast tick
Odocoileus virginianus
white-tailed deer