Nucleotide alignment and phylogenetic tree illustrating tick-derived Mycoplasma cynos

Mycoplasma cynos is a significant bacterial pathogen within the Canine
Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRD), causing substantial
morbidity worldwide in pet and kennel dog populations. While its role as
both a primary and secondary pathogen in respiratory disease is
established, the epidemiology and potential for vector-borne transmission
of M. cynos remains understudied. Here we describe an identified
association of M. cynos with a lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum L.,
collected in New Jersey, USA using a next-generation metabarcoding
approach. Sequence identity and phylogenetic analysis confirmed its
provenance as a canine-derived M. cynos strain, and to our knowledge
represents the first identification of this pathogen in ticks. These
findings suggest a potential tick-mediated epidemiological link between
canine hosts and the environment, underlining the need for further studies
on tick-borne transmission dynamics and their role in the broader ecology
of canine and wildlife respiratory pathogens.