Response of the bacterial community in Haemaphysalis longicornis exposed to monoterpenes

Some monoterpenes in essential oils are phytotoxins, acting as plant chemical defenses against bacteria or fungi infections and plant-eating insects. Certain bacterial genera have developed special abilities to transform these toxic compounds into less toxic derivatives. Here, we investigated the response of the bacterial in Haemaphysalis longicornis exposed to Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) essential oil (EO) and citronellal. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA regions on an Illumina NovaSeq PE250 sequencing platform was performed for H. longicornis tick samples treated with 15 and 20 mg/mL of lemongrass essential oil and citronellal.