Molecular detection of Anaplasmataceae agents in Dasyprocta azarae in northeastern Brazil

Molecular and serological detection of arthropod-borne pathogens in carnivorous birds from Brazil

Rickettsiales, Haemosporida and Rhizobiales agents can cause diseases that affect various animal species, including humans. Due to predation behaviour, carnivorous birds may play an important role in spreading these etiological agentes across geographically distant areas, specially if they are migratory. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and to access the phylogenetic relations among Anaplasmataceae (Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Neorickettsia), Bartonellaceae (Bartonella spp.), and Haemosporida (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) agents in blood samples from 121 carnivorous birds sampled in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Inclusions resembling hemoparasites were not observed in Giemsa-stained preparations. While three animals were seropositive for E. chaffeensis (3.41% [3/88]; 95% CI:1.17-9.55%), five showed antibodies to A. phagocytophilum (5.68% [5/88]; 95% CI: 2.45-12.62%). Despite the detection of rrs gene fragments closely related to E. chaffeensis (4.13% [5/121]; 95% CI: 1.78-9.31%), no positivity was observed in the qPCR based on the genes vlpt for the organism. Similarly, 12 (9.91% [12/121]; 95% CI: 5.76-16.74%) samples were positive in the qPCR for Anaplasma spp. based on groEL gene, but negative in the qPCR for A. phagocytophilum based on msp-2 gene. Three samples were positive in the nPCR for E. canis based on rrs gene. Three samples were positive for Haemoproteus spp. and one for Plasmodium spp. in the nPCR based on cytB gene. Four birds (3.3% [4/121]; 95% CI: 1.29-8.19%) presented co-positivity by Ehrlichia sp. and Anaplasma sp. in molecular assays. One (0.82% [1/121]; 95% CI:0.15-4.53%) bird showed to be seropositive for E. chaffeensis and and positive in PCR for Haemoproteus sp. All birds were negative in the qPCR assay for Bartonella spp. (nuoG). The present work showed the occurrence of Anaplasmataceae agents and hemosporidians in carnivorous birds from southeastern Brazil. The role of these animals in the dispersion of Anaplasmataceae agents should be further investigated.

Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. in Xenarthra mammals from Brazil, with evidence of novel 'Candidatus Anaplasma spp.'

Anaplasmataceae agents are obligatory intracellular Gram-negative α-proteobacteria that are transmitted mostly by arthropod vectors. Although mammals of the Superorder Xenarthra (sloths, anteaters, and armadillos) have been implicated as reservoirs for several zoonotic agents, only few studies have sought to detect Anaplasmataceae agents in this group of mammals. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in blood and spleen samples of free-living Xenarthra from four different states in Brazil (São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rondônia, and Pará). Nested and conventional PCR screening assays were performed to detect the rrs and dsb genes of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp., respectively. The assays were positive in 27.57% (91/330) of the Anaplasma spp. and 24.54% (81/330) of the Ehrlichia spp. Of the 91 positive Anaplasma spp. samples, 56.04% were positive in a conventional PCR assay targeting the 23S–5S intergenic region. Phylogenetic and distance analyses based on the rrs gene allocated Anaplasma sequences from sloths captured in Rondônia and Pará states in a single clade, which was closely related to the A. marginale, A. ovis, and A. capra clades. The sequences detected in southern anteaters from São Paulo were allocated in a clade closely related to sequences of Anaplasma spp. detected in Nasua nasua, Leopardus pardalis, and Cerdocyon thous in Brazil. These sequences were positioned close to A. odocoilei sequences. Genotype analysis corroborated previous findings and demonstrated the circulation of two distinct Anaplasma genotypes in animals from north and southeast Brazil. The first genotype was new. The second was previously detected in N. nasua in Mato Grosso do Sul state. The intergenic region analyses also demonstrated two distinct genotypes of Anaplasma. The sequences detected in Xenarthra from Pará and Rondônia states were closely related to those in A. marginale, A. ovis, and A. capra. Anaplasma spp. sequences detected in Xenarthra from São Paulo and were allocated close to those in A. phagocytophilum. The analyses based on the dsb gene grouped the Ehrlichia spp. sequences with sequences of E. canis (São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Pará) and E. minasensis (Rondônia and Pará). The data indicate the occurrence of E. canis and E. minasensis and two possible new Candidatus species of Anaplasma spp. in free-living mammals of the Superorder Xenarthra in Brazil.

Detection of a putative novel genotype of Ehrlichia sp. from opossums (Didelphis aurita) from Brazil

Erlichiosis affects humans and animals worldwide. Its distribution and prevalence depends on the presence of tick vectors and hosts in one geographic area. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. in opossums (Didelphis sp.) from the State of Rio de Janeiro, southeast Brazil. Blood samples from 37 animals were tested for these two pathogens using molecular methods. One animal (2.7%) was positive for Ehrlichia sp. by 16S rRNA-based nested PCR. In a phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene using the maximum likelihood method and the GTRGAMMA+I evolutionary model, we detected a novel Ehrlichia sp. genotype closely related to genotypes of E. canis previously reported in dogs from Brazil. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first molecular detection of Ehrlichia sp. in opossums from this State in the southeastern region of the country.