Rhipicephalus microplus laying eggs

CATTLE TICK GENOMICS

Rhipicephalus microplus (formerly Boophilus microplus) is the most economically-important tick parasite of livestock in the world.  Commonly known as the cattle tick, R. microplus has numerous hosts including cattle, deer, buffalo, horses, dogs, pigs, donkeys, goats, and sheep.  High level tick infestations decrease the fecundity of parasitized animals and damage host hides.  Moreover, R. microplus is a vector for a number of endoparasites including the protozoans causing bovine babesiosis, the most damaging arthropod-borne disease of cattle. 

Drs. Felix Guerrero (USDA-ARS), Vishvanath Nene (U. of Maryland), Appolinaire Djikeng (J. Craig Venter Institute), and MGEL's Daniel Peterson have been working together to sequence the gene space of R. microplus as a means of discovering genetic pathways that can be selectively targeted in cattle tick control.  Of note, Peterson used Cot filtration to isolate gene-enriched R. microplus DNA which has subsequently been sequenced using 454/Roche technologies.  A manuscript describing the initial sequencing results is in preparation.