Tick and Biting Fly Research Unit

Data from: Deer keds and blacklegged ticks infesting ungulates in the United States: molecular detection of Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Borrelia spp.

Deer keds are blood-feeding flies from which several human and animal pathogens have been detected, including the causative agent of Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi). Cervids, which are the primary hosts of deer keds, are not natural reservoirs of B. burgdorferi, and it has been suggested that deer keds may acquire bacterial pathogens by co-feeding near ticks that are infected with the bacteria. We tested this hypothesis by using a molecular assay to screen for presence of Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., and Rickettsia spp. in specimens of European deer keds (n=306) and blacklegged ticks (n=315) collected from 38 individual white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania. There was limited similarity in the bacterial DNA detected between these ectoparasites per host, suggesting that co-feeding may not be a mechanism by which deer keds acquire these bacteria.

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Data from: Raw Pacific Biosciences and Illumina sequencing reads and assembled genome data for cattle ticks Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus annulatus

This study produced reference quality genomes of two cattle ticks Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus annulatus, which can be used to identify drug targets with acaricidal activity and refine anti-tick vaccine approaches.

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Data from: The Pacific Biosciences de novo assembled genome dataset from a parthenogenetic New Zealand wild population of the longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901

A New Zealand-USA consortium was established to sequence, assemble, and annotate the genome of Haemaphysalis longicornis, using ticks obtained from New Zealand's North Island.

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Data from: Gene expression during the early stages of host perception and attachment in adult female Rhipicephalus microplus ticks

This study produced a comprehensive transcriptome from newly molted adult ticks and will provide a useful resource for studies of tick feeding and host perception and also assist genome annotation refinements.

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Data from: A Whole Genome Assembly of the Horn Fly, Haematobia irritans, and Prediction of Genes with Roles in Metabolism and Sex Determination

To provide a foundation for identification of genomic loci for insecticide resistance and for discovery of new control technology, we report the sequencing, assembly, and annotation of the horn fly genome.

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Data from: Analysis of expressed sequence tags from a significant livestock pest, the stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans), identifies transcripts with a putative role in chemosensation and sex determination.

This data set was obtained from pyrosequencing of stable fly immature and adult specimens, comprising genes expressed at these stages.

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