Investigation of the presence of Bartonellaceae in chigger mites (Acari: Trombidiformes) of rodents from Brazil

• Grant number: 24/21435-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Fernando de Castro Jacinavicius
• Grantee: Vithoria Alves Barbosa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chiggers is the popular name for the larval stage of mites of the family Trombiculidae s. l. These mites parasitize vertebrates and can cause a skin reaction in their host, known as trombiculiasis. In Brazil, 69 species are known; for many of them, there is only a single record of location and host. In the Asia-Pacific region, some species of this family are vectors of tsutsugamushi, a human rickettsiosis caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. In addition to this bacterium, some pathogens (Borrelia, Coxiella, Hepatozoon, and Rickettsia) have already been detected in trombiculid mites. In Brazil, Rickettsia felis-like was detected in Blankaartia sinnamaryi collected from birds, and strains of Rickettsia spp. were found in three different species of trombiculids collected from rodents in the state of São Paulo. For this project, specimens that are already preserved in tissue banks will be examined, subjected to DNA extraction, and then to the detection test for Bartonellaceae. In the Neotropical region, trombiculids are poorly studied, and there are still gaps in their taxonomy, biodiversity, and association with hosts and pathogens. Considering the lack of knowledge about the distribution of species in this country and the indications of the possibility of larvae participating in the transmission of pathogens, it is relevant to investigate this pathogen in this group of mites collected from Brazil.