How soft ticks (Ornithodoros turicata) pass relapsing fever bacteria to their offspring
Official title: Unraveling vector ecology and genomic drivers of vertical transmission: Defining relapsing fever Borrelia persistence in populations of the under-studied argasid tick, Ornithodoros turicata
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-11386993 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project checks whether soft ticks called Ornithodoros turicata keep and pass relapsing fever bacteria across generations, which matters for people living or working where these ticks live.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | May 5, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $200,625 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI191624-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386993 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People most likely to benefit are residents, campers, or workers in areas of the U.S. and Mexico where Ornithodoros turicata are present, especially those with repeated unexplained fevers or exposure to rodent-infested buildings.
✕Less likely to help
People who live far from these tick habitats or whose illness has a different confirmed cause are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
From a patient standpoint, the team collects soft ticks from homes, animal shelters, and field sites in regions where people live and work. They test those ticks for relapsing fever Borrelia and look for evidence that infected female ticks transmit the bacteria to their eggs and offspring. The researchers also use genomic sequencing to find bacterial and tick genes that help the infection persist through generations. Together these approaches aim to explain how relapsing fever can establish and remain in local environments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help public health predict where relapsing fever might appear and guide better prevention or control measures targeting the ticks that maintain the bacteria.
How similar studies have gone: Some prior work shows related tick–Borrelia systems can transmit infections across generations, but applying genomic tools to naturally collected O. turicata populations to define molecular drivers is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lopez, Job E — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Lopez, Job E
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.