The endosymbiotic bacterium Midichloria mitochondrii: a lead for the development of innovative vector control methods against ticks?

Studies on endosymbiotic bacteria associated with arthropods, especially hematophagous haematophagous bacteria that transmit pathogens, have led to the development of new vector control methods. Our work on the genus Midichloria has revealed the presence of this endosymbiotic bacterium in 7 other tick species and has led to the development of tools to study the effects of M. mitochondrii on the biology of its host Ixodes ricinus.

Bibliography :

Cafiso A., Bazzocchi C., De Marco L., Opara M.N., Sassera D., Plantard O. 2016. Molecular screening for Midichloria in hard and soft ticks reveals variable prevalence levels and bacterial loads in different tick species. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 7: 1186-1192. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.07.017.

Di Venere M., Fumagalli M., Cafiso A., De Marco L., Epis S., Plantard O., Bardoni A., Salvini R., Viglio S., Bazzocchi C., Iadarola P., Sassera D. 2015. Ixodes ricinus and Its Endosymbiont Midichloria mitochondrii: A Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Salivary Glands and Ovaries. PLoS ONE 10: e0138842. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138842.

Ninio C., Plantard O., Serra V., Pollera C., Ferrari N., Cafiso A., Sassera D., Bazzocchi C. 2015. Antibiotic treatment of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus: Influence on Midichloria mitochondrii load following blood meal. Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases 6: 653-657. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.05.011.