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Applied and environmental microbiology1998; 64(8); 2888-2893; doi: 10.1128/AEM.64.8.2888-2893.1998

Detection of Ehrlichia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever, in freshwater stream snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) from northern California.

Abstract: Ehrlichia DNA was identified by nested PCR in operculate snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) collected from stream water in a northern California pasture in which Potomac horse fever (PHF) is enzootic. Sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA from a suite of genes (the 16S rRNA, groESL heat shock operon, 51-kDa major antigen genes) indicated that the source organism closely resembled Ehrlichia risticii, the causative agent of PHF. The minimum percentage of Juga spp. harboring the organism in the population studied was 3.5% (2 of 57 snails). No ehrlichia DNA was found in tissues of 123 lymnaeid, physid, and planorbid snails collected at the same site. These data suggest that pleurocerid stream snails may play a role in the life cycle of E. risticii in northern California.
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Publication Date: 1998-08-04 PubMed ID: 9687446PubMed Central: PMC106788DOI: 10.1128/AEM.64.8.2888-2893.1998Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study found a specific strain of bacteria, known as Ehrlichia risticii – the cause of Potomac horse fever – in a particular type of snail found in a northern California pasture, suggesting that these snails may contribute to the spread of this disease.

Research Methodology

  • The research involved collecting operculate snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) from a northern California pasture where an outbreak of Potomac horse fever (PHF) was known to be endemic.
  • The researchers used a technique known as nested PCR to identify traces of Ehrlichia DNA within the snails.
  • The researchers also examined the DNA sequences of a set of genes which includes 16S rRNA, groESL heat shock operon, 51-kDa major antigen genes. This helped to confirm that the DNA traces found in the snails were consistent with Ehrlichia risticii, the bacteria that causes PHF.

Key Findings

  • The researchers found Ehrlichia risticii within a minimal percentage (3.5%) of the Juga spp. snails sampled (2 out of the 57 studied).
  • Additionally, the researchers studied 123 other snails (lymnaeid, physid, and planorbid) found in the same location, but none of these others showed any trace of the Ehrlichia DNA.

Implications of the Findings

  • The discovery of Ehrlichia risticii within the Juga spp. snails implies that these snails could have a role in the life cycle of this bacterium, and hence the spread of PHF, at least in the specific context of northern California.
  • This adds to the body of knowledge on the spread of PHF, potentially aiding future efforts in controlling and preventing outbreaks of this disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Barlough JE, Reubel GH, Madigan JE, Vredevoe LK, Miller PE, Rikihisa Y. (1998). Detection of Ehrlichia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever, in freshwater stream snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) from northern California. Appl Environ Microbiol, 64(8), 2888-2893. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.64.8.2888-2893.1998

Publication

Applied and environmental microbiology
ISSN: 0099-2240
NlmUniqueID: 7605801
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 64
Issue: 8
Pages: 2888-2893

Researcher Affiliations

Barlough, J E
  • Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
Reubel, G H
    Madigan, J E
      Vredevoe, L K
        Miller, P E
          Rikihisa, Y

            MeSH Terms

            • Amino Acid Sequence
            • Animals
            • Antigens, Bacterial / genetics
            • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
            • Base Sequence
            • California
            • Chaperonins / genetics
            • DNA, Ribosomal / analysis
            • Ehrlichia / genetics
            • Ehrlichia / isolation & purification
            • Ehrlichiosis / transmission
            • Ehrlichiosis / veterinary
            • Fresh Water
            • Heat-Shock Proteins / genetics
            • Horse Diseases / microbiology
            • Horse Diseases / transmission
            • Horses
            • Molecular Sequence Data
            • Operon
            • Phylogeny
            • Polymerase Chain Reaction
            • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
            • Snails / microbiology

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