Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 29, 2026

An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines
07:18

An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines

Published on: October 11, 2022

2.5K

Isolation of Rickettsia, Rickettsiella, and Spiroplasma from Questing Ticks in Japan Using Arthropod Cells

May June Thu1,2, Yongjin Qiu3, Chikako Kataoka-Nakamura2,4

  • 11 Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)
|February 20, 2019
PubMed

Insights

This study isolated tick-borne bacteria, including Rickettsia, Rickettsiella, and Spiroplasma, from Japanese ticks using cell cultures. These findings advance understanding of tick-associated microorganisms and their potential roles.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Vector-borne diseases
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • Ticks are significant vectors of zoonotic pathogens.
  • The roles of tick endosymbionts, crucial for tick survival, are not fully understood.
  • Characterizing tick-associated microorganisms is vital for public health and veterinary science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize tick-borne microorganisms from field-collected ticks in Japan.
  • To utilize arthropod cell lines (ISE6 and C6/36) for microbial isolation.
  • To identify bacterial genera and species present in ticks.

Main Methods:

  • Inoculation of 170 tick homogenates from 15 species into ISE6 and C6/36 cell lines.
  • Confirmation of bacterial growth via 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) PCR amplification.
  • Sequencing analysis of 16S rDNA PCR products for identification.

Main Results:

  • Bacterial isolation confirmed in 14 samples (ISE6) and 4 samples (C6/36) over 8 weeks.
  • Identified genera included Rickettsia, Rickettsiella, and Spiroplasma.
  • Specific species identified: Rickettsia asiatica, R. helvetica, R. monacensis, R. tamurae, R. sp. LON, Spiroplasma spp., and Rickettsiella sp. (first report from ticks).

Conclusions:

  • Successful isolation and preliminary characterization of Rickettsia, Rickettsiella, and Spiroplasma from Japanese ticks.
  • This study reports the first isolation of Rickettsiella from ticks.
  • Further research on these isolates can elucidate their pathogenic potential and symbiotic roles in ticks.
Keywords:
arthropodsisolationsymbionts

More Related Videos

Isolation of microRNAs from Tick Ex Vivo Salivary Gland Cultures and Extracellular Vesicles08:03

Isolation of microRNAs from Tick Ex Vivo Salivary Gland Cultures and Extracellular Vesicles

Published on: April 6, 2022

3.0K
Clear Resin Casting of Arthropods for Use in Education, Outreach, and Research07:05

Clear Resin Casting of Arthropods for Use in Education, Outreach, and Research

Published on: January 16, 2026

411

Related Concept Videos

Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation01:20

Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation

Cell separation was first achieved in 1964 by S. H. Seal, who separated large tumor cells from the smaller blood cells using filtration. Two years later, Pohl and Hawk performed experiments on how cells respond differently to a nonuniform electric field based on the cell type. Such observations were the inception of cell separation methods, which allow isolating a single cell type from a heterogeneous sample.
7.5K
DNA Isolation01:34

DNA Isolation

DNA from cells is required for many biotechnology and research applications, such as molecular cloning. To remove and purify DNA from cells, researchers use various methods of DNA extraction. While the specifics of different protocols may vary, some general concepts underlie the process of DNA extraction.
199.3K
DNA Isolation01:24

DNA Isolation

DNA isolation protocols can be fast and straightforward or complex and time-consuming depending on the type and quality of DNA required for further processing. For example, plasmid DNA extraction is a bit more complicated than genomic DNA extraction because of the need for an appropriate lysis method to separate plasmid DNA from gDNA during isolation. However, for specific applications, such as long-range DNA sequencing that require a good yield of high- quality DNA samples, we need to follow...
45.0K
Cyclic Processes And Isolated Systems01:19

Cyclic Processes And Isolated Systems

A thermodynamic system with zero heat exchange and work is an isolated system. For these systems, the internal energy remains constant.
In the case of a non-isolated system, the change in the internal energy is zero only if the process is cyclic. A thermodynamic process is considered cyclic if the system undergoes a series of changes and returns to its initial state. 
Consider a cyclic process that returns to its initial state, undergoing a four-step process. The heat transfer along each...
3.5K
Techniques for Isolation of Pure Cultures01:24

Techniques for Isolation of Pure Cultures

Microorganisms are routinely cultured in the laboratory using various techniques to isolate, grow, and quantify them for further study. These methods rely on inoculating microorganisms into a suitable growth medium under aseptic conditions to prevent contamination. Depending on the objective, inoculation can involve direct transfer or the use of diluted bacterial suspensions as the inoculum.Streak-Plate Method for IsolationThe streak-plate method is a common technique for obtaining pure...
2.2K
The Colonization of Land02:22

The Colonization of Land

Changes in the environment of the early Earth drove the evolution of organisms. As prokaryotic organisms in the oceans began to photosynthesize, they produced oxygen. Eventually, oxygen saturated the oceans and entered the air, resulting in an increase in atmospheric oxygen concentration, known as the oxygen revolution approximately 2.3 billion years ago. Therefore, organisms that could use oxygen for cellular respiration had an advantage. More than 1.5 years ago, eukaryotic cells and...
37.6K