Amblyomma maculatum isolate:SK-2019 Genome sequencing and assembly

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum, is a vector of Rickettsia parkeri which causes a febrile infection in humans, and also of Hepatozoon americanum, a pathogen of dogs. The distribution of A. maculatum extends from the southeastern states of the USA bordering the Gulf of Mexico, into Mexico and several other Central and South American countries. In the past decades it has extended Northwards and to the West in the United States, including the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and southwestern Tennessee. Current work with this tick aims at understanding its relationship with their symbionts and pathogens in general, and in particular to understand the tick s immunity pathways. The availability of the genome sequence of A. maculatum would foster the pace of these research goals.