Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Cultivation Methods of Spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Complex and Relapsing Fever Borrelia
10:37

Cultivation Methods of Spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Complex and Relapsing Fever Borrelia

Published on: November 25, 2022

6.2K

Spiroplasma Isolated From Third-Generation Laboratory Colony Ixodes persulcatus Ticks

Alexandra Beliavskaia1, Vaclav Hönig2,3, Jan Erhart2

  • 1Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|April 12, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Spiroplasma endosymbionts persist in laboratory-colonized Ixodes persulcatus ticks through at least three generations. Tick cell cultures proved effective for isolating and cultivating Spiroplasma from these ticks.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Vector Biology
  • Tick Research

Background:

  • Spiroplasma are endosymbionts transmitted vertically in arthropods.
  • Previous studies reported Spiroplasma in field-collected Ixodes persulcatus ticks.
  • The persistence of Spiroplasma in colonized I. persulcatus remains unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the persistence of Spiroplasma in a laboratory colony of Ixodes persulcatus.
  • To assess the prevalence of Spiroplasma in colonized I. persulcatus ticks.
  • To evaluate tick cell lines for Spiroplasma isolation and cultivation.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of Spiroplasma from unfed adult I. persulcatus ticks using tick cell culture.
  • Genus-specific PCR amplification of 16S rRNA and rpoB genes to detect Spiroplasma.
  • Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments for phylogenetic analysis.

Main Results:

  • Spiroplasma was successfully isolated from ticks in the third generation of the I. persulcatus laboratory colony.
  • 100% of screened I. persulcatus ticks from the colony were infected with Spiroplasma.
  • The 16S rRNA sequence showed 99.8% similarity to Spiroplasma from field-collected I. persulcatus.

Conclusions:

  • Spiroplasma endosymbionts maintain high prevalence in colonized I. persulcatus through at least three generations.
  • Tick cell lines are valuable tools for isolating and culturing Spiroplasma.
  • This study confirms the stable presence of Spiroplasma in laboratory-reared I. persulcatus.
Keywords:
Ixodes persulcatusSpiroplasmaendosymbionttick cell linetick colony

More Related Videos

Detecting the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, in Ticks Using Nested PCR07:20

Detecting the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, in Ticks Using Nested PCR

Published on: February 4, 2018

18.4K
An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines07:18

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

Published on: October 11, 2022

2.1K

Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes01:30

Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes

Spirochetes, unique bacteria in the phylum Spirochaetes, are gram-negative, motile, tightly coiled, slender, and flexible. They inhabit aquatic sediments and animals, with some causing diseases like syphilis. Spirochetes are classified into eight genera based on habitat, pathogenicity, phylogeny, and characteristics.Their distinctive motility arises from endoflagella, located within the cell’s periplasm. These endoflagella anchor at the cell poles and extend along the cell length, encased...
255
Bacterial Phylum Tenericutes01:24

Bacterial Phylum Tenericutes

The phylum Tenericutes, which includes the single class Mollicutes, comprises bacteria that lack cell walls. The term "Mollicutes" derives from the Latin word mollis, meaning "soft." These organisms are among the smallest known and are commonly referred to as mycoplasmas due to the prominence of the genus Mycoplasma, which includes well-known human pathogens. Despite their inability to stain gram-positively (a result of their lack of cell walls), mycoplasmas are phylogenetically related to the...
205