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de Araújo FES, Martins TF, Ramos CCM, Nogueira RMS, Faccini JLH, Tavares MA, de Lima NJ, de Almeida Júnior EB, de Sousa-Paula LC, Dantas-Torres F, da Silva Krawczak F, Costa-Junior LM, Labruna MB, Dall Agnol LT, Luz HR. Seasonal dynamics of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) sensu stricto in a degraded area of the Amazon biome, with notes on Rickettsia amblyommatis infection. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:391. [PMID: 37891604 PMCID: PMC10612284 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05978-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The tick Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto (A. cajennense s.s.) frequently parasitizes animals and humans in the Amazon biome, in addition to being a vector of Rickettsia amblyommatis. In the present study, we evaluated both the population dynamics of A. cajennense s.s. in a degraded area of the Amazon biome and the presence of rickettsial organisms in this tick population. METHODS The study was carried out in a rural area of the Santa Inês municipality (altitude: 24 m a.s.l.), Maranhão state, Brazil. Ticks were collected from the environment for 24 consecutive months, from June 2021 to May 2023. The region is characterized by two warm seasons: a rainy season (November-May) and a dry season (June-October). We characterized the temporal activity of A. cajennense s.s. on the vegetation by examining questing activity for each life stage (larvae, nymphs, adults [males and females]) in relation to the dry and rainy season. Ticks collected in this study were randomly selected and individually tested by a TaqMan real-time PCR assay that targeted a 147-bp fragment of the rickettsial gltA gene. RESULTS Overall, 1843 (62.4%) adults (52.6% females, 47.4% males), 1110 (37.6%) nymphs and 398 larval clusters were collected. All adult females and nymphs were morphologically identified as A. cajennense s.s. Larval activity was observed from April to December, with a peak from June to September (dry season); nymph abundance peaked from September to November (transition period between dry and rainy seasons); and adult ticks were abundant from October to May (spring/summer/early autumn). The infection rate by R. amblyommatis in A. cajennense s.s. ticks was at least 7% (7/99). CONCLUSION Our data suggest a 1-year generation pattern for A. cajennense s.s., with a well-defined seasonality of larvae, nymphs and adults in the Amazon biome. Larvae predominate during the dry season, nymphs are most abundant in the dry-rainy season transition and adults are most abundant in the rainy season. The presence of R. amblyommatis in adult ticks suggests that animals and humans in the study region are at risk of infection by this species belonging to the spotted fever group of Rickettsia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thiago Fernandes Martins
- Pasteur Institute, São Paulo State Department of Health, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - João Luiz Horacio Faccini
- Post-Graduation Program in Health Sciences, Center of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil
| | | | | | - Eduardo Bezerra de Almeida Júnior
- Post-Graduation Program in Biodiversity and Conservation, Center of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil
| | - Lucas Christian de Sousa-Paula
- Tick-Pathogen Transmission Unit, Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Filipe Dantas-Torres
- Department of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Recife, PE, Brazil
| | | | - Livio Martins Costa-Junior
- Post-Graduation Program in Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), Biodiversity and Conservation, Center of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Bahia Labruna
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Hermes Ribeiro Luz
- Post-Graduation Program in Health and Environment, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
- Post-Graduation Program in Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), Biodiversity and Conservation, Center of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
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Moraes PHG, Rufino CP, Baraúna ARF, Reis T, Agnol LTD, Meneses AMC, Aguiar DCF, Nunes MRT, Gonçalves EC. Molecular characterization of Babesia vogeli in dogs from Belém, northern Brazil. Genet Mol Res 2015; 14:16364-71. [PMID: 26662431 DOI: 10.4238/2015.december.9.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Babesiosis is an infectious hemolytic disease that occurs worldwide, and is caused by a protozoan of the Babesia genus (Apicomplexa). Little is known about this genus; therefore, this study conducted a molecular characterization of Babesia spp in naturally infected dogs in northern Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 172 dogs from metropolitan Belém, and screened for Babesia spp using semi-nested polymerase chain reactions. Subsequently, 18S rDNA gene fragments were amplified and sequenced. Alignments of the 27 nucleotide sequences returned fragments measuring 1023 bp in size, which did not include any polymorphic sites (100% identity). This genotype was very similar to the 18S rDNA gene in B. vogeli. This study provides an important molecular characterization of the parasite responsible for canine babesiosis in naturally infected dogs in metropolitan Belém. In addition, the 18S rDNA gene in B. vogeli may represent the most common genotype occurring in South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- P H G Moraes
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - C P Rufino
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - A R F Baraúna
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - T Reis
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - L T D Agnol
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - A M C Meneses
- Instituto da Saúde e Produção Animal, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Montese, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - D C F Aguiar
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - M R T Nunes
- Centro de Inovações Tecnológicas, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Levilândia, Ananindeua, PA, Brasil
| | - E C Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Biomolecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Cidade Universitária, Belém, PA, Brasil
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