Chigger bacteria shift depending on location and disease infection status
Chen K, Travanty NV, Garshong RA, Wasserberg G, Apperson CS
Vector Ecology
Chiggers lurk in overgrown grass and leaf litter in parks and backyards across the eastern US, and this research reveals they may carry more than one disease-causing microbe at a time, raising the stakes for anyone who spends time outdoors.
Chiggers are nearly invisible mite larvae that bite people and animals, and some carry a disease called scrub typhus. Scientists collected chiggers from across North Carolina and used genetic sequencing to catalog the bacteria living inside them. They found that where a chigger lives and whether it carries the scrub typhus microbe both change the mix of bacteria it hosts, including some bacteria that can sicken people.
Key Findings
Three chigger species were identified across North Carolina's ecoregions, with Eutrombicula splendens showing significant microbiome variation by collection site.
E. splendens infected with Orientia had higher abundance of Brevibacillus and Telluria, while uninfected individuals had more Methylobacterium.
Potentially pathogenic genera including Rickettsia, Listeria, Legionella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus were detected in chigger microbiomes.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that tiny mites called chiggers in North Carolina carry diverse bacterial communities, and both the region where chiggers live and whether they're infected with a disease-causing microbe called Orientia shape which bacteria they host. Some of those bacteria are potentially harmful to humans.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Geographic and Orientia infection status influence on the bacterial microbiome of free-living chiggers in North Carolina, USA.
Chiggers (larval Trombiculid mites) serve as vectors for Orientia species that cause scrub typhus, a potentially serious illness in humans with a broadening global distribution. To date, there is l...
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