Journal of Medical Entomology (2012) 49, 1510-1514

Mariana G. Spolidorio, Guilherme S. Andreoli, Thiago F. Martins, Paulo E. Brandão and Marcelo B. Labruna (2012)
Rickettsial infection in ticks collected from road-killed wild animals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Journal of Medical Entomology 49 (6), 1510-1514
Abstract: During 2008-2010, ticks were collected from road-killed wild animals within the Serra dos Órgãos National Park area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In total, 193 tick specimens were collected, including Amblyomma dubitatum Neumann and Amblyomma cajennense (F.) from four Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (L.), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann and A. cajennense from four Tamandua tetradactyla (L.), Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas) and A. cajennense from five Cerdocyon thous L., Amblyomma longirostre (Koch) from one Sphiggurus villosus (Cuvier), Amblyomma varium Koch from three Bradypus variegatus Schinz, and A. cajennense from one Buteogallus meridionalis (Latham). Molecular analyses based on polymerase chain reaction targeting two rickettsial genes (gltA and ompA) on tick DNA extracts showed that 70.6% (12/17) of the A. dubitatum adult ticks, and all Amblyomma sp. nymphal pools collected from capybaras were shown to contain rickettsial DNA, which after DNA sequencing, revealed to be 100% identical to the recently identified Rickettsia sp. strain Pampulha from A. dubitatum ticks collected in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis with concatenated sequences (gltA-ompA) showed that our sequence from A. dubitatum ticks, referred to Rickettsia sp. strain Serra dos Órgãos, segregated under 99% bootstrap support in a same cluster with Old World rickettsiae, namely R. tamurae, R. monacensis, and Rickettsia sp. strain 774e. Because A. dubitatum is known to bite humans, the potential role of Rickettsia sp. strain Serra dos Órgãos as human pathogen must be taken into account, because both R. tamurae and R. monacencis have been reported infecting human beings.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Marcelo Bahia Labruna

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Amblyomma cajennense		Brazil (south)
	Amblyomma aureolatum		Brazil (south)
	Amblyomma dubitatum		Brazil (south)
	Amblyomma longirostre		Brazil (south)