Survey of Rickettsia spp. in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting opossums (Didelphis albiventris) and capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from an urban park in southeastern Brazil

Survey of Rickettsia spp. in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting opossums (Didelphis albiventris) and capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from an urban park in southeastern Brazil

Ticks are hematophagous arthropods and, during feeding, may transmit pathogens to vertebrate hosts, including humans. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected between 2010 and 2013 from free-ranging capybaras ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) and opossums ( Dide...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental & applied acarology Vol. 92; no. 3; pp. 463 - 477
Main Authors: Caixeta, Bruno Tolentino, Tolesano-Pascoli, Graziela Virginia, Mundim, Flávia Lúcio, Pascoal, Jamile de Oliveira, Rodrigues, Vinícius da Silva, Martins, Maria Marlene, Ramos, Vanessa do Nascimento, Torga, Khelma, Costa, Lourenço Faria, Miranda, Vinícius Campos, Benfatti, Luisa Rodrigues, Silva, Leticia Maria, Limongi, Jean Ezequiel, Szabó, Matias Pablo Juan, Yokosawa, Jonny
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-04-2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Adults
Amblyomma
Animal Ecology
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Animals
Arachnids
Arthropods
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Clusters
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Developmental stages
Didelphis albiventris
Disease
DNA
Entomology
Fever
Genetic testing
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Ketamine
Larvae
Life Sciences
Nymphs
Pathogens
Polymerase chain reaction
Rickettsia
Ticks
Vertebrates
Brazil
Rickettsiales
Didelphimorphia
Molecular detection
Tick-borne diseases
Rodentia
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Summary:Ticks are hematophagous arthropods and, during feeding, may transmit pathogens to vertebrate hosts, including humans. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected between 2010 and 2013 from free-ranging capybaras ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) and opossums ( Didelphis albiventris ) that inhabit Sabiá Park in Uberlândia, Brazil. Overall, 1,860 ticks were collected: 1,272 (68.4%) from capybaras (487 of the species Amblyomma sculptum , 475 adults and 12 nymphs; 778 Amblyomma dubitatum , 727 adults and 51 nymphs; and seven larva clusters of the genus Amblyomma ); and 588 (31.6%) from opossums (21 A. sculptum , one adult and 20 nymphs; 79 A. dubitatum , all nymphs; 15 Ixodes loricatus , 12 adults and three nymphs; 457 Amblyomma sp. larva clusters; 15 Ixodes sp. larva clusters; and one Argasidae larva cluster). Out of 201 DNA samples tested for the presence of Rickettsia spp. DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 12 showed amplification of a gtlA gene segment that was specific to Rickettsia bellii , a bacterium non-pathogenic to humans. As there has been a report showing serological evidence of infections caused by Rickettsia species of the spotted fever group (SFG) in capybaras and opossums in the park, including Rickettsia rickettsii , the etiological agent of Brazilian spotted fever, and considering the presence of A. sculptum ticks, which are aggressive to humans, as well as these vertebrate hosts, which are amplifiers of R. rickettsii , it is important to monitor the presence of SFG rickettsiae in the Sabiá Park, which is visited daily by thousands of people.
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ISSN:0168-8162
1572-9702
1572-9702
DOI:10.1007/s10493-023-00885-1