Abstract
Rondônia is the only state in the North Region of Brazil to have registered confirmed cases of Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF). The present study investigated the epidemiological cycle of Rickettsia spp. by surveying free-living ixodofauna and tick parasitism of dogs in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia State. Ticks and dogs were tested for the presence of Rickettsia spp. DNA and dog serum was tested for reactivity to anti-Rickettsia spp. antibodies. Tick collection and dog blood sampling were performed in peri-urban and rural environments at 11 locations. Eight free-living Amblyomma species and one Haemaphysalis species were collected: A. scalpturatum, A. naponense, A. oblongoguttatum, A. coelebs, A. latepunctatum, A. pacae, A. ovale, Amblyomma sp., and H. juxtakochi. Three tick species were found parasitizing dogs: Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, A. oblongoguttatum and A. ovale. Molecular analysis did not identify the presence of the gltA gene fragment in any tick specimen. Results from an indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) showed that 20.8% of peri-urban and 15.4% of rural dog sera exhibited reactivity to Rickettsia rhipicephali, Rickettsia amblyommatis, Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia parkeri antigens. Antibody prevalence in dogs was 16.4%. This study is the first to describe the prevalence of Rickettsia spp. infection in dogs from Porto Velho municipality. Our findings enhance current knowledge of Rickettsia spp. circulation in the Western Amazon.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr. Marcelo Labruna for providing us with the IFA glass blades containing the Rickettsia spp. antigens, and to Dr. Antônio Marques for helping with the map construction and statistical analysis. We would also like to thank the Instituto Nacional de Epidemiologia da Amazônia Ocidental INCT-EpiAmO and the funding agencies FAPERO, FUNDAPAM, CNPq and CAPES for helping to fund this study.
Funding
This research was supported by Rondônia Foundation (FAPERO), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnelde Nível Superior (CAPES) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
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This study and its animal handling procedures were analyzed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under protocol number 2016/06 (CEUA/Fiocruz-RO).
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da Costa, I.N., de Abreu Rangel Aguirre, A., de Paulo, P.F.M. et al. Diversity of free-living ticks and serological evidence of spotted fever group Rickettsia and ticks associated to dogs, Porto Velho, Western Amazon, Brazil. Exp Appl Acarol 83, 555–573 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00604-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00604-8