Direct Evidence of Powassan Virus Vertical Transmission in in Nature

Overview

Journal Viruses

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2024 Mar 28

PMID 38543821

Authors

Rachel E Lange

Melissa A Prusinski

Alan P Dupuis 2nd

Alexander T Ciota

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Powassan virus (POWV) is a tick-borne flavivirus endemic in North America and Russia. Experimental infections with POWV have confirmed horizontal, transstadial, vertical, and cofeeding transmission routes for potential virus maintenance. In the field, vertical transmission has never been observed. During New York State tick-borne pathogen surveillance, POWV RNA and/or infectious POWV was detected in five pools of questing larvae. Additionally, engorged female adults were collected from hunter-harvested white-tailed deer () in a region with relatively high tick infection rates of POWV and allowed to oviposit under laboratory conditions. POWV RNA was detected in three female adult husks and one pool of larvae from a positive female. Infectious virus was isolated from all three RNA-positive females and the single positive larval pool. The detection of RNA and infectious virus in unfed questing larvae from the field and larvae from replete females collected from the primary tick host implicates vertical transmission as a potential mechanism for the maintenance of POWV in in nature, and elucidates the potential epidemiological significance of larval ticks in the transmission of POWV to humans.

Citing Articles

Isopods infesting Atlantic bonefish () host novel viruses, including reoviruses related to global pathogens, and opportunistically feed on humans.

Goldberg T, Perez A, Campbell L Parasitology. 2024; 151(12):1386-1396.

PMID: 39563628 PMC: 11894014. DOI: 10.1017/S003118202400146X.

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Deer Tick Virus (Powassan Virus, Lineage II) in Ixodes scapularis Ticks in Five Habitats at a Nature Reserve in Southern Maine, United States.

Robich R, Piantadosi A, Elias S, Cosenza D, Schneider E, Baxter L Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024; 111(6):1311-1319.

PMID: 39406212 PMC: 11619509. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0643.

Interspecies co-feeding transmission of Powassan virus between a native tick, Ixodes scapularis, and the invasive East Asian tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis.

Obellianne C, Norman P, Esteves E, Hermance M Parasit Vectors. 2024; 17(1):259.

PMID: 38879603 PMC: 11180395. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06335-0.

Widespread Circulation of Tick-Borne Viruses in Virginia-Evidence of Exposure to Heartland, Bourbon, and Powassan Viruses in Wildlife and Livestock.

Garba A, Riley J, Lahmers K, Eastwood G Microorganisms. 2024; 12(5).

PMID: 38792729 PMC: 11124039. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050899.

References

Hassett E, Thangamani S . Ecology of Powassan Virus in the United States. Microorganisms. 2021; 9(11). PMC: 8624383. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112317. View

Telford 3rd S, Armstrong P, Katavolos P, Foppa I, Garcia A, Wilson M . A new tick-borne encephalitis-like virus infecting New England deer ticks, Ixodes dammini. Emerg Infect Dis. 1997; 3(2):165-70. PMC: 2627606. DOI: 10.3201/eid0302.970209. View

Hart C, Hassett E, Vogels C, Shapley D, Grubaugh N, Thangamani S . Powassan Virus Lineage I in Field-Collected Dermacentor variabilis Ticks, New York, USA. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023; 29(2):415-417. PMC: 9881768. DOI: 10.3201/eid2902.220410. View

Stuen S, Granquist E, Silaghi C . Anaplasma phagocytophilum--a widespread multi-host pathogen with highly adaptive strategies. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2013; 3:31. PMC: 3717505. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2013.00031. View

Ebel G . Update on Powassan virus: emergence of a North American tick-borne flavivirus. Annu Rev Entomol. 2009; 55:95-110. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-112408-085446. View

Mannelli A, Bertolotti L, Gern L, Gray J . Ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Europe: transmission dynamics in multi-host systems, influence of molecular processes and effects of climate change. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2011; 36(4):837-61. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00312.x. View

Hermance M, Thangamani S . Powassan Virus: An Emerging Arbovirus of Public Health Concern in North America. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2017; 17(7):453-462. PMC: 5512300. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2017.2110. View

Danielova V, Holubova J, Pejcoch M, Daniel M . Potential significance of transovarial transmission in the circulation of tick-borne encephalitis virus. Folia Parasitol (Praha). 2003; 49(4):323-5. View

McLean D, Best J, Mahalingam S, Chernesky M, Wilson W . POWASSAN VIRUS: SUMMER INFECTION CYCLE, 1964. Can Med Assoc J. 1964; 91:1360-2. PMC: 1927569. View

10.

Ebel G, Spielman A, Telford S . Phylogeny of North American Powassan virus. J Gen Virol. 2001; 82(Pt 7):1657-1665. DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-82-7-1657. View

11.

McLean D, Larke R . Powassan and Silverwater viruses: ecology of two Ontario arboviruses. Can Med Assoc J. 1963; 88:182-5. PMC: 1920964. View

12.

Dupuis 2nd A, Peters R, Prusinski M, Falco R, Ostfeld R, Kramer L . Isolation of deer tick virus (Powassan virus, lineage II) from Ixodes scapularis and detection of antibody in vertebrate hosts sampled in the Hudson Valley, New York State. Parasit Vectors. 2013; 6:185. PMC: 3711734. DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-185. View

13.

Raney W, Herslebs E, Langohr I, Stone M, Hermance M . Horizontal and Vertical Transmission of Powassan Virus by the Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick, , Under Laboratory Conditions. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022; 12:923914. PMC: 9283711. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.923914. View

14.

Goethert H, Mather T, Johnson R, Telford 3rd S . Incrimination of shrews as a reservoir for Powassan virus. Commun Biol. 2021; 4(1):1319. PMC: 8608897. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02828-1. View

15.

Chernesky M, McLean D . Localization of Powassan virus in Dermacentor andersoni ticks by immunofluorescence. Can J Microbiol. 1969; 15(12):1399-408. DOI: 10.1139/m69-252. View

16.

Brackney D, Nofchissey R, Fitzpatrick K, Brown I, Ebel G . Stable prevalence of Powassan virus in Ixodes scapularis in a northern Wisconsin focus. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2008; 79(6):971-3. PMC: 5467223. View

17.

GOLDFIELD M, Austin S, Black H, Taylor B, Altman R . A non-fatal human case of Powassan virus encephalitis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1973; 22(1):78-81. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1973.22.78. View

18.

McLean D, Donohue W . Powassan virus: isolation of virus from a fatal case of encephalitis. Can Med Assoc J. 1959; 80(9):708-11. PMC: 1830849. View

19.

Campbell O, Krause P . The emergence of human Powassan virus infection in North America. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2020; 11(6):101540. DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101540. View

20.

COSTERO A, Grayson M . Experimental transmission of Powassan virus (Flaviviridae) by Ixodes scapularis ticks (Acari:Ixodidae). Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1996; 55(5):536-46. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1996.55.536. View