Capybaras, ticks, and spotted fever

• Grant number: 13/18046-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Duration: September 01, 2014 - August 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Bahia Labruna
• Grantee: Marcelo Bahia Labruna
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Fernando Ferreira
• Associated researchers: Adriano Pinter dos Santos ; Alexandre Reis Percequillo ; Celso Eduardo de Souza ; Daniel Moura de Aguiar ; José Brites Neto ; Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz ; Leonardo José Richtzenhain ; Luciano Martins Verdade ; Marcelo Zacharias Moreira ; Matias Pablo Juan Szabó ; Patrícia Ferreira Monticelli ; Pedro Manoel Galetti Junior ; RICHARD DE CAMPOS PACHECO ; Tarcizio Antonio Rego de Paula ; Ubiratan Piovezan ; Vlamir José Rocha
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/10005-6 - Capybaras and cougars spatial ecology across human-influenced landscapes, BP.MS; 17/26599-7 - Diagnosis and monitoring of free-living capybaras - 3, BP.IC; 17/15217-6 - Diagnosis and monitoring of free-living capybaras - 2, BP.IC; + associated scholarships 17/04249-4 - Survey of tick-borne agents (Anaplasma spp, Babesia spp, Borrelia spp, Ehrlichia spp and Hepatozoon spp) in small mammals and their ticks in endemic and non-endemic areas for Brazilian spotted fever in the state of São Paulo, Brazil., BP.DR; 17/00117-6 - Population structure and dynamics of free-living capybara associated with tick infestation and Rickettsia spp. infection, BP.PD; 16/07241-1 - Evaluation of Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic Rainforest as a protective agent against Rickettsia rickettsii infections, agent of Brazilian spotted fever, BP.PD; 15/12552-3 - Survey of tick-borne agents (Anaplasma spp, Babesia spp, Borrelia spp, Ehrlichia spp and Hepatozoon spp) in small mammals and their ticks in endemic and non-endemic areas for Brazilian spotted fever in the state of São Paulo, Brazil., BP.DR; 15/14276-3 - Diagnosis and monitoring of free-living capybaras - 3, BP.IC; 15/04795-3 - Diagnosis and monitoring of free-living capybaras - 2, BP.IC; 14/25657-5 - Infection by Rickettsia spp in capybaras and their ticks from different sites of Brazil, BP.IC; 14/27078-2 - Diagnosis and monitoring of free-living capybaras - 1, BP.IC; 14/24779-0 - Population dynamics of ticks and diversity of small mammals, BP.PD; 14/23176-0 - Population structure and dynamics of free-living capybara associated with tick infestation and Rickettsia spp. infection, BP.PD - associated scholarships

Abstract

Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii and transmitted by the tick Amblyomma cajennense is the tick-borne disease of greatest medical importance in Latin America. In the interior of São Paulo state, the BSF-endemic areas are associated with capybaras, the primary host for A. cajennense in these areas. However, there are much more areas where A. cajennense populations are sustained by capybaras, and without the occurrence of BSF. Also, there are areas inhabited by A. cajennense and capybaras, in which for a given period of time there was no disease endemism, and thereafter these areas became endemic to BSF. With the aim to elucidate these gaps in the BSF epidemiology, the present proposal is composed by 9 subprojects that will investigate ecologic interactions of BSF, the tick vector, and the capybara. For this purpose, capybara populations, ticks, and the associate wild and domestic fauna will be evaluated simultaneously for 4 consecutive years in 3 BSF-endemic, and 3 non-endemic areas of the state of São Paulo, and also in two areas of high fauna and flora diversity in the Pantanal biome. In addition, several studies on experimental infection of ticks and capybaras with R. rickettsii will be done to simulate field situations. The results of this project will provide a better understanding on the dynamics of the R. rickettsii infection and the occurrence of BSF in the state of São Paulo. Finally, a mathematical model on the R. rickettsii circulation in tick and capybara populations will be constructed, what will indicate the minimum reproduction rate of capybaras that would allow the maintenance of R. rickettsii infection in tick populations. This model will have direct application in official programs of management and control of capybara populations, aiming to work on the prevention of new cases of BSF in the endemic areas, and at the same time, to prevent non-endemic areas to become endemic for BSF over time. (AU)

Scientific publications

(16)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

POLO, GINA; ACOSTA, CARLOS MERA; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.; FERREIRA, FERNANDO. Transmission dynamics and control of Rickettsia rickettsii in populations of Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris and Amblyomma sculptum. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 11, n. 6, JUN 2017. (14/12213-1, 13/18046-7)

COSTA, FRANCISCO B.; GERARDI, MONIZE; BINDER, LINA DE C.; BENATTI, HECTOR R.; DE AZEVEDO SERPA, MARIA CAROLINA; LOPES, BEATRIZ; LUZ, HERMES R.; FERRAZ, KATIA M. P. M. B.; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.. Rickettsia rickettsii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) Infecting Amblyomma sculptum (Acari: Ixodidae) Ticks and Capybaras in a Brazilian Spotted Fever-Endemic Area of Brazil. Journal of Medical Entomology, v. 57, n. 1, p. 308-311, JAN 2020. (14/23176-0, 14/27078-2, 13/18046-7)

RAMIREZ-HERNANDEZ, ALEJANDRO; UCHOA, FRANCISCO; DE AZEVEDO SERPA, MARIA CAROLINA; BINDER, LINA C.; RODRIGUES, ALESSANDRA CASTRO; SZABO, MATIAS P. J.; FOGACA, ANDREA; SOUZA, CELSO EDUARDO; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.. Clinical and serological evaluation of capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) successively exposed to an Amblyomma sculptum-derived strain of Rickettsia rickettsii. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 10, n. 1, JAN 22 2020. (13/18046-7)

DE ABREU BOVO, ALEX AUGUSTO; MAGIOLI, MARCELO; PERCEQUILLO, ALEXANDRE REIS; KRUSZYNSKI, CECILIA; ALBERICI, VINICIUS; MELLO, MARCO A. R.; CORREA, LIDIANI SILVA; ZECCHINI GEBIN, JOAO CARLOS; GOMES RIBEIRO, YURI GERALDO; COSTA, FRANCISCO BORGES; et al. Paisagem antropicamente modificada atua como refúgio para mamíferos na Mata Atlântica. Biota Neotropica, v. 18, n. 2, 2018. (14/10192-7, 13/18046-7, 14/23809-2, 09/16009-1, 13/24929-9, 14/09300-0)

GERARDI, MONIZE; RAMIREZ-HERNANDEZ, ALEJANDRO; BINDER, LINA C.; KRAWCZAK, FELIPE S.; GREGORI, FABIO; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.. Comparative Susceptibility of Different Populations of Amblyomma sculptum to Rickettsia rickettsii. FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY, v. 10, MAY 28 2019. (13/14222-5, 13/18046-7)

PASSOS NUNES, FERNANDA B.; DA SILVA, SILVIO CARVALHO; CIETO, ALEX DEIWS; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.. The Dynamics of Ticks and Capybaras in a Residential Park Area in Southeastern Brazil: Implications for the Risk of Rickettsia rickettsii Infection. VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES, v. 19, n. 10, p. 1-6, MAY 2019. (13/18046-7)

RAMIREZ-HERNANDEZ, ALEJANDRO; UCHOA, FRANCISCO; SERPA, MARIA CAROLINA DE AZEVEDO; BINDER, LINA C.; SOUZA, CELSO EDUARDO; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.. Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) as amplifying hosts of Rickettsia rickettsii to Amblyomma sculptum ticks: Evaluation during primary and subsequent exposures to R. rickettsii infection. TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES, v. 11, n. 5, SEP 2020. (13/18046-7)

PEREIRA DE SOUZA, SILVIO LUIS; BENATTI, HECTOR RIBEIRO; LUZ, HERMES RIBEIRO; COSTA, FRANCISCO BORGES; PACHECO, RICHARD DE CAMPOS; LABRUNA, MARCELO BAHIA. Endoparasites of capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from anthropized and natural areas of Brazil. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PARASITOLOGIA VETERINARIA, v. 30, n. 2, 2021. (13/18046-7)

LUZ, HERMES R.; RAMIREZ-HERNANDEZ, ALEJANDRO; BENATTI, HECTOR R.; RAMIREZ, DIEGO G.; SZABO, MATIAS P. J.; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.. Comparative survival of the engorged stages of Amblyomma dubitatum and Amblyomma sculptum in the laboratory: Implications for Brazilian spotted fever epidemiology. TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES, v. 11, n. 2, MAR 2020. (13/18046-7, 13/13650-3, 17/00117-6)

DIAS, THIAGO C.; STABACH, JARED A.; HUANG, QIONGYU; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.; LEIMGRUBER, PETER; FERRAZ, KATIA M. P. M. B.; LOPES, BEATRIZ; LUZ, HERMES R.; COSTA, FRANCISCO B.; BENATTI, HECTOR R.; et al. Habitat selection in natural and human-modified landscapes by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), an important host for Amblyomma sculptum ticks. PLoS One, v. 15, n. 8, AUG 20 2020. (15/04795-3, 13/18046-7)

MARCELO BAHIA LABRUNA; JOÃO LUIZ HORÁCIO FACCINI. A fase não-parasitária de Dermacentor nitens em condições de campo no Sudeste do Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária, v. 29, n. 4, 2020-10-23. (13/18046-7)

BENATTI, HECTOR R.; LUZ, HERMES R.; LIMA, DANIEL M.; GONCALVES, VINICIUS D.; COSTA, FRANCISCO B.; RAMOS, VANESSA N.; AGUIAR, DANIEL M.; PACHECO, RICHARD C.; PIOVEZAN, UBIRATAN; SZABO, MATIAS P. J.; et al. Morphometric Patterns and Blood Biochemistry of Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from Human-Modified Landscapes and Natural Landscapes in Brazil. VETERINARY SCIENCES, v. 8, n. 8, AUG 2021. (13/18046-7)

LUZ, HERMES R.; COSTA, FRANCISCO B.; BENATTI, HECTOR R.; RAMOS, VANESSA N.; SERPA, MARIA CAROLINA DE A.; MARTINS, THIAGO F.; ACOSTA, IGOR C. L.; RAMIREZ, DIEGO G.; MUNOZ-LEAL, SEBASTIAN; RAMIREZ-HERNANDEZ, ALEJANDRO; et al. Epidemiology of capybara-associated Brazilian spotted fever. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 13, n. 9, SEP 2019. (13/18046-7)

LABRUNA, M. B.; COSTA, F. B.; PORT-CARVALHO, M.; OLIVEIRA, A. S.; SOUZA, S. L. P.; CASTRO, M. B.. Lethal Fascioliasis in Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in Brazil. Journal of Parasitology, v. 104, n. 2, p. 173-176, APR 2018. (13/18046-7, 14/23176-0)

POLO, GINA; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.; FERREIRA, FERNANDO. Basic reproduction number for the Brazilian Spotted Fever. Journal of Theoretical Biology, v. 458, p. 119-124, DEC 7 2018. (14/12213-1, 16/01913-8, 13/18046-7)

POLO, GINA; ACOSTA, CARLOS MERA; LABRUNA, MARCELO B.; FERREIRA, FERNANDO; BROCKMANN, DIRK. Hosts mobility and spatial spread of Rickettsia rickettsii. PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, v. 14, n. 12, DEC 2018. (14/12213-1, 13/18046-7)