Open AccessTargeted Metagenomics for Clinical Detection and Discovery of Bacterial Tick-Borne Pathogens
Author(s) -
Luke C. Kingry,
Sarah W. Sheldon,
Stephanie Oatman,
Bobbi S. Pritt,
Melissa Anacker,
Jenna Bjork,
David F. Neitzel,
Anna K. Strain,
Jacquie Berry,
Lynne M. Sloan,
Laurel B. Respicio-Kingry,
Elizabeth A. Dietrich,
Karen C. Bloch,
Abelardo C. Moncayo,
Ganesh Srinivasamoorthy,
Bin Hu,
Alison F. Hinckley,
Paul S. Mead,
Kiersten J. Kugeler,
Jeannine M. Petersen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of clinical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.349
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1070-633X
pISSN - 0095-1137
DOI - 10.1128/jcm.00147-20
Subject(s) - metagenomics , biology , tick , 16s ribosomal rna , tick borne disease , computational biology , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , virology , genetics , gene
Tick-borne diseases, due to a diversity of bacterial pathogens, represent a significant and increasing public health threat throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A high-throughput 16S V1-V2 rRNA gene-based metagenomics assay was developed and evaluated using >13,000 residual samples from patients suspected of having tick-borne illness and >1,000 controls. Taxonomic predictions for tick-borne bacteria were exceptionally accurate, as independently validated by secondary testing. Overall, 881 specimens were positive for bacterial tick-borne agents. Twelve tick-borne bacterial species were detected, including two novel pathogens, representing a 100% increase in the number of tick-borne bacteria identified compared to what was possible by initial PCR testing. In three blood specimens, two tick-borne bacteria were simultaneously detected. Seven bacteria, not known to be tick transmitted, were also confirmed to be unique to samples from persons suspected of having tick-borne illness. These results indicate that 16S V1-V2 metagenomics can greatly simplify diagnosis and accelerate the discovery of bacterial tick-borne pathogens.