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Fecchio A, Martins TF, Dias RI, Bell JA, Pinho JB, Silva VLDB, Pacheco RDC. Immature hard ticks infected with Rickettsia amblyommatis on breeding birds from Pantanal. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2023; 14:102121. [PMID: 36682198 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Immature hard ticks from the genus Amblyomma feed on blood from a wide range of Neotropical avian hosts. They serve as vectors for pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, such as Rickettsia agents of the spotted fever group (SFG). Hence, determining ecological factors that increase encounter rates between immature ticks and their avian hosts may contribute to the understanding of tick-borne diseases transmission. Here, we used 720 individual birds from 96 species surveyed in the Brazilian Pantanal to test whether host breeding season influenced tick infestation probabilities. Additionally, collected ticks were screened for Rickettsia agents to describe new avian-tick-bacteria associations. Our models revealed that the probability of an individual bird being infested with immature ticks was similar during the breeding and pre-breeding season, but higher loads of immature tick stages were found during the breeding season. Host sex did not predict infestation probability, but Rickettsia agents recovered from ticks were more prevalent during the pre-breeding season. The new records of host usage by larvae and nymphs of Amblyomma in Pantanal and the growing body of tick surveys in Neotropical avian communities, suggest that immature ticks may benefit from avian blood sources during their annual cycle. The low number of infected ticks with Rickettsia agents on Pantanal birds suggest that this vertebrate group are likely not acting as reservoirs for these microorganisms. However, long-term surveys at the same site are imperative to determine which tick species are acting as reservoirs for Rickettsia agents in Pantanal and determine whether birds are playing a role in dispersing ticks and tick-borne pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Fecchio
- Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), CONICET - Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Esquel, Chubut, Argentina; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil.
| | - Thiago Fernandes Martins
- Departamento de Laboratórios Especializados, Superintendência de Controle de Endemias, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Raphael I Dias
- Faculdade de Ciências da Educação e Saúde, Centro Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Jeffrey A Bell
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58201, USA
| | - João B Pinho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Victoria Luiza de Barros Silva
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Veterinária e Doenças Parasitárias dos Animais Domésticos e Silvestres, Hospital Veterinário - HOVET, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária - FAVET, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso - UFMT, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Richard de Campos Pacheco
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Veterinária e Doenças Parasitárias dos Animais Domésticos e Silvestres, Hospital Veterinário - HOVET, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária - FAVET, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso - UFMT, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
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da Frota AVB, Vitorino BD, Nunes JRDS, da Silva CJ. Main trends and gaps in studies for bird conservation in the Pantanal wetland. NEOTROPICAL BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/neotropical.15.e52905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds are considered one of the most well-known groups of animals in the Pantanal, playing an important ecological role in wetland ecosystems. Our aim was to identify the main themes and gaps in current knowledge of these birds, considering thirty years of scientific research to direct future studies. We performed a scientometric analysis based on five platforms with the search words “Aves” and “Pantanal” as well as “Bird” and “Pantanal”. We identified 145 scientific studies, with themes of ecology (64), conservation (23), health (17), fauna (15), genetics (12), geographic distribution (7), and environmental education (7). The number of publications has increased significantly over the years. However, the focus is predominantly on certain Pantanal regions, such as the municipalities of Corumbá in Mato Grosso do Sul state and Poconé in Mato Grosso state. Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus and Mycteria americana are among the species with the largest number of studies in the Pantanal, with 12 and 11 papers, respectively. We highlighted the need for new studies in regions such as the north-west and themes such as threatened species and ecosystem services. Integrated knowledge and interdisciplinary approaches can be useful in strategic decision-making and more effective for bird conservation in wetlands.
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Lunardi VO, Mendonça MLA, Elias APR, Lunardi DG. First record of a breeding colony of black-necked stilt Himantopus mexicanus (Aves: Recurvirostridae) in northeastern Brazil. BRAZ J BIOL 2015; 75:S259-61. [PMID: 26602343 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.24014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- V O Lunardi
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva e Molecular, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró, RN, Brazil
| | - M L A Mendonça
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva e Molecular, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró, RN, Brazil
| | - A P R Elias
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva e Molecular, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró, RN, Brazil
| | - D G Lunardi
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva e Molecular, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró, RN, Brazil
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