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Araújo IM, Cordeiro MD, Soares RFP, Guterres A, Sanavria A, Baêta BDA, da Fonseca AH. Survey of bacterial and protozoan agents in ticks and fleas found on wild animals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2022; 13:102037. [PMID: 36270115 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluates the presence of bacterial and protozoan agents in ticks and fleas found on wild animals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These ectoparasites were collected on mammal species Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Tapirus terrestris, Dicotyles tajacu, Didelphis aurita, Cuniculus paca, Cerdocyon thous, and Coendou prehensilis, and on the terrestrial bird Dromaius novaehollandiae. Ticks and fleas were identified morphologically using specific taxonomic keys. A total of 396 ticks and 54 fleas were tested via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., microorganisms of the order Piroplasmida and Anaplasmataceae family. This total is distributed among nine tick species of the genus Amblyomma and one flea species. Rickettsia bellii was detected in Amblyomma dubitatum and Amblyomma pacae; Rickettsia sp. strain AL was found in Amblyomma longirostre; Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest was found in Amblyomma ovale; and "Candidatus Rickettsia senegalensis" and Rickettsia felis were detected in Ctenocephalides felis felis. Wolbachia sp. was detected in C. f. felis, and Borrelia sp. was detected in Amblyomma calcaratum (here named Borrelia sp. strain Acalc110). All tested samples were negative for Ehrlichia spp. and microorganisms of the Piroplasmida order. This study detected a new bacterial strain, Borrelia sp. strain Acalc 110 (which is genetically close to B. miyamotoi and B. venezuelensis) and the Rickettsia sp. strain 19P, which is 100% similar to "Ca. R. senegalensis", a bacterium recently discovered and now being reported for the first time in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izabela Mesquita Araújo
- Post-Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Br 465, km 7, Highway BR 465, Km 7,5. Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Matheus Dias Cordeiro
- Post-Graduate Program in Practice in Sustainable Development, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rubens Fabiano Prado Soares
- Post-Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Br 465, km 7, Highway BR 465, Km 7,5. Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Alexandro Guterres
- Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Avenida Brasil, Rio de Janeiro 4365, Brazil
| | - Argemiro Sanavria
- Post-Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Br 465, km 7, Highway BR 465, Km 7,5. Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Bruna de Azevedo Baêta
- Post-Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Br 465, km 7, Highway BR 465, Km 7,5. Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 23897-000, Brazil
| | - Adivaldo Henrique da Fonseca
- Post-Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Br 465, km 7, Highway BR 465, Km 7,5. Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 23897-000, Brazil.
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Ixodid diversity and detection of spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected on birds in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Acta Trop 2022; 236:106673. [PMID: 36041496 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest helds one of the most diverse and unique avifauna in the world. Many vertebrate species are reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens, and birds are an important group among them due to their mobility which facilitates the dispersion of ticks and the infectious agents they carry. This study brings data on the tick diversity parasitizing birds and the molecular detection of Rickettsia spp. in these arthropods. Birds (n = 773) were captured, identified, and banded at Mata do Paraíso Research, Training, and Environmental Education Center located in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Birds were checked for the presence of ticks, which were individually collected, identified, and molecularly processed through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the detection of Rickettsia spp. A total of 130 individuals were infested by ticks, and 479 tick specimens were collected, showing a seasonal distribution of the life stages throughout the year. Ticks were identified as Amblyomma longirostre (59/479); Amblyomma calcaratum (20/479); Amblyomma varium (3/479); Amblyomma sculptum (2/479) and Amblyomma spp. larvae (395/479). Seasonal distribution of the life stages of ticks was observed along the year and significant negative correlations were found between temperature and collected ticks and temperature and infested birds. From the evaluated samples of ticks, 25.44% (n= 43/169) scored positive for Rickettsia spp., and sequence analysis indicated high nucleotide identity with Rickettsia rhipicephali, R. massiliae, R. africae and R. honei marmionii. The potential for dispersal of ticks by birds added to the aggressiveness of species of the genus Amblyomma and the zoonotic potential of some species of Rickettsia are quite worrying when we consider that the study area is widely attended by students, researchers, people from the city and neighboring municipalities.
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Mesquita GB, Silva WL, Fecchio A, Martins TF, Labruna MB, Dias RI. Amblyomma ticks consumed by a giant cowbird, Molothrus oryzivorus. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 11:101424. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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