Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA in Deer Keds: Massachusetts, USA

Patrick Pearson; Guang Xu; Eric L Siegel; Mileena Ryan; Connor Rich; Martin J R Feehan; Blake Dinius; Shaun M McAuliffe; Patrick Roden-Reynolds; Stephen M Rich

doi:10.3390/insects16010042

Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA in Deer Keds: Massachusetts, USA

Insects. 2025 Jan 4;16(1):42. doi: 10.3390/insects16010042.

Authors

Patrick Pearson^{1

2}, Guang Xu^{1

2}, Eric L Siegel^{1

2}, Mileena Ryan^{1

2}, Connor Rich^{1

2}, Martin J R Feehan^{2

3

4}, Blake Dinius⁵, Shaun M McAuliffe⁶, Patrick Roden-Reynolds⁷, Stephen M Rich^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Medical Zoology, Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
² New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
³ Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA 01581, USA.
⁴ Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
⁵ Plymouth County Extension, Plymouth, MA 02360, USA.
⁶ Hopkinton Health Department, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA.
⁷ Martha's Vineyard Tick-Borne Illness Reduction Initiative, Edgartown, MA 02539, USA.

PMID: 39859623
DOI: 10.3390/insects16010042

Abstract

Deer keds (Lipoptena spp. and Neolipoptena ferrisi) are hematophagous ectoparasites that primarily infest white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other cervids in the United States. The distribution of deer keds in the northeastern United States and the pathogens they harbor remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we examined the geographical distribution and pathogen prevalence of deer keds in Massachusetts by collecting samples from white-tailed deer and testing for tick-borne pathogens. Deer keds were collected across the state, including in four previously unrecorded counties, indicating a wide distribution. Pathogen screening revealed the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA in 30% of the keds, but no other pathogens were detected. The medical and biological significance of detecting A. phagocytophilum DNA in deer keds requires future studies. This research provides a baseline for the distribution and pathogen prevalence of deer keds in Massachusetts and highlights the potential of deer keds as sentinels for monitoring deer-associated microbes.

Keywords: Anaplasma; Lipoptena; Odocoileus virginianus; deer keds; ectoparasites; pathogen prevalence; white-tailed deer.

Grants and funding

U01CK000661/Centers for Disease Control