Detected microorganisms and new geographic records of Ornithodoros rietcorreai (Acari: Argasidae) from northern Brazil

Author(s)

Munoz-Leal, Sebastian ^[1] ; Macedo, Catarina ^[2] ; Goncalves, Teresa Cristina ^[2] ; Barreira, Jairo Dias ^[3] ; Labruna, Marcelo B. ^[1] ; Sampaio de Lemos, Elba Regina ^[4] ; Ogrzewalska, Maria ^[4]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Med Vet Prevent & Saude Anim, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Lab Transmissores Leishmanioses, Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Estado Rio de Janeiro, Dept Microbiol & Parasitol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

^[4] Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Lab Hantaviroses & Rickettsioses, Pavilhao Helio & Peggy Pereira 1 Andar, Sala B115, BR-21040360 Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES; v. 10, n. 4, p. 853-861, JUN 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Reliable data on distributional ranges of soft ticks (Argasidae) and assessments of putative tick-borne agents enhance the understanding on tick-associated microorganisms. A total of 96 ticks morphologicaly and mole-cularly identified as Ornithodoros rietcorreai were collected in Tocantins State, Brazil, using Noireau traps with living bait as CO2 source. Ninety-six ticks (54 nymphs, 32 males, 10 females) with different engorgement degrees were collected. Fourty-seven (48.9%) of them were individually screened by PCR for detecting bacteria of Anaplasmataceae family and genera Rickettsia, and Borrelia. The presence of protozoans of the genus Babesia was assessed as well. Fourty seven ticks were submitted to analysis. Nine ticks (19.1%) yielded sequences for gltA and htrA genes most identical with a series of endosymbiont rickettsiae and Rickettsia bellii, respectively. Upon two ticks (4.2%) we retrieved DNA of a potential new Wolbachia sp., and DNA of a putative novel Hepatozoon was characterized from three (6.4%) specimens. No DNA of Babesia or Borrelia was detected. Remarkably, amplicons of unidentified eukaryotic organisms, most closely related with apicomplexans but also with dinoflagellates (91% of identity after BLAST analyses), were recovered from two ticks (4.2%) using primers designed for Babesia 18S rRNA gene. Our records expand the distribution of O. rietcorreai into Brazilian Cerrado biome and introduce the occurrence of microorganisms in this tick species. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/02521-1 - Study on tick relapsing fever group spirochetes (Spirochaetaceae: Borrelia) on ticks of genus Ornithodoros (Acari: Argasidae) parasitizing humans in Brazil
• Grantee: Sebastián Alejandro Munoz Leal
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral