Spotted fever group Rickettsia infecting ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Vol. 106; no. 8
• Main Authors: Medeiros, Alessandra Pereira, de Souza, Antonio Pereira, de Moura, Anderson Barbosa, Lavina, Marcia Sangaletti, Bellato, Valdomiro, Sartor, Amélia Aparecida, Nieri-Bastos, Fernanda Aparecida, Richtzenhain, Leonardo José, Labruna, Marcelo Bahia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz 20-07-2012
• Subjects: Rickettsia - spotted fever - ticks - Amblyomma - Rhipicephalus - Dermacentor
• ISSN: 1678-8060

During 2006-2008, a total of 260 adult ticks were collected from
domestic and wild animals in different regions of the state of Santa
Catarina (SC), Brazil, including areas where human cases of Brazilian
spotted fever have been reported. Collected ticks belonging to nine
species ( Amblyomma aureolatum , Amblyomma cajennense , Amblyomma
dubitatum , Amblyomma longirostre , Amblyomma ovale , Amblyomma
tigrinum , Dermacentor nitens , Rhipicephalus microplus and
Rhipicephalus sanguineus ) were tested by polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) for rickettsial infection. Overall, eight (3.1%) ticks were found
to be infected with Rickettsia species. After sequencing the PCR
products, we determined that the sequences generated from three A.
aureolatum, one A. ovale and one R. sanguineus from the municipality of
Blumenau, one A. ovale from the municipality of Águas Mornas
and one A. ovale from the municipality of Urussanga were identical to
the corresponding partial rickettsial ompA gene sequence of Rickettsia
parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest. The sequence generated from one
A. longirostre from Blumenau was 100% identical to the corresponding
partial rickettsial ompA gene sequence of Rickettsia amblyommii
strain AL. Because R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest was recently
shown to have caused two cases of human spotted fever in other states
of Brazil, the role of this rickettsial agent as a possible etiological
agent of spotted fever in SC is discussed.