Repository logo
 

Comparison of the bacteria within ticks from allopatric and sympatric populations of Dermacentor andersoni and Dermacentor variabilis near their northern distributional limits in Canada

dc.contributor.advisorChilton, Neilen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberWilson, Kenen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberScoles, Glenen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGajadhar, Alvinen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberNeal, Dicken_US
dc.creatorDergousoff, Shaun J.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2011-07-05T01:42:32Zen_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-01-04T04:42:17Z
dc.date.available2012-08-17T08:00:00Zen_US
dc.date.available2013-01-04T04:42:17Z
dc.date.created2011-06en_US
dc.date.issued2011-06en_US
dc.date.submittedJune 2011en_US
dc.description.abstractUnderstanding the ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases requires detailed knowledge of the complex interactions among the tick vector, the microorganisms they carry and the vertebrate hosts used by ticks, as well as the environmental conditions experienced by all three groups of organisms in this triad. In this thesis, I addressed questions relating to the biology and vector ecology of the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). Comparisons were made of the distribution of both tick species, the vertebrate hosts used by immature ticks, and the types and prevalence of bacteria in individual ticks from multiple localities near the northern extent of their geographic ranges in western Canada. The results revealed that the distributions of both D. andersoni and D. variabilis have expanded since the 1960s, and there is now a broad zone of sympatry in southern Saskatchewan. In this zone of sympatry, D. andersoni and D. variabilis immatures were found to use the same species of small mammals as hosts and, in some cases, the same host individuals. This provides for the possibility of cross-transmission of bacteria from one tick species to the other. Bacteria of several genera (e.g. Rickettsia, Francisella, Arsenophonus and Anaplasma) were detected in D. andersoni and/or D. variabilis, some of which represented new tick-bacteria associations. However, most bacterial species were highly host (tick)-specific, except for three examples of apparent host switching from one tick species to the other at localities where the two tick species occurred in sympatry. The findings of this thesis provide a basis for understanding microbial transmission, the structure of tick-borne microbial communities, the risk of tick-borne disease in humans and animals, and the vector potential of D. andersoni and D. variabilis in geographical areas where they have not been studied previously.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-07052011-014232en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.subjectdistributionen_US
dc.subjectVector ecologyen_US
dc.subjecttick-host associationsen_US
dc.subjecttick-borne bacteriaen_US
dc.titleComparison of the bacteria within ticks from allopatric and sympatric populations of Dermacentor andersoni and Dermacentor variabilis near their northern distributional limits in Canadaen_US
dc.type.genreThesisen_US
dc.type.materialtexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentBiologyen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineBiologyen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Saskatchewanen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)en_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Dergousoff_Shaun_PhD_thesis_June_2011.pdf
Size:
4.76 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
905 B
Format:
Plain Text
Description: