Diversity of ticks and detection of Rickettsia amblyommatis infecting ticks on wild birds in anthropogenic landscapes in Bahia state, northeast Brazil

• Published in: Experimental & applied acarology Vol. 84; no. 1; pp. 227 - 239
• Main Authors: Rocha, Josiane M., de Oliveira, Philipe B., Martins, Thiago F., Faccini, João Luiz H., P. Sevá, Anaiá, Luz, Hermes R., Albuquerque, George R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-05-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amblyomma; Animal Ecology; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Anthropogenic factors; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Birds; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Entomology; Fever; Gene sequencing; Larvae; Life Sciences; Rainforests; Rickettsia; Species; Ticks; Brazil; Atlantic Forest; Brazil; Birds; Atlantic rainforest; Ticks; Rickettsia
• ISSN: 0168-8162; 1572-9702
• DOI: 10.1007/s10493-021-00616-4

Birds are important hosts in the maintenance and spread of ticks worldwide, including several species of
Amblyomma
which harbor rickettsial agents as members of the spotted fever group (SFG). The current survey shows the diversity of tick and rickettsial agents infecting ticks on wild birds from an Atlantic rainforest in the state of Bahia, Brazil. A total of 365 birds were captured, representing two orders, 22 families and 51 species, among which 68 specimens (18.6%) were parasitized. Overall, 132 immature ticks (81 larvae and 51 nymphs) were identified to species level, representing six recognized species of the genus
Amblyomma
:
Amblyomma longirostre
(n = 45),
Amblyomma nodosum
(n = 40),
Amblyomma varium
(n = 5),
Amblyomma parkeri
(n = 2),
Amblyomma coelebs
(n = 3) and
Amblyomma calcaratum
(n = 1). Amplification by PCR and sequencing of rickettsial genes (
gltA
and
ompA
), detected the presence of
Rickettsia
DNA in 12 (9.1%) of the ticks.
Rickettsia amblyommatis
was the only agent detected in nine larvae and two nymphs of
A. longirostre
and one nymph of
A. varium
with 99–100% similarity.