Molecular detection of Rickettsia rickettsii, Ehrlichia canis and Rangelia vitalli in Rhipicephalus sanguineus senso latu collected from dogs in Brazil

Author(s)

Zulzke, L. ; Labruna, M. B. ; Silva, B. R. F. ; Marcili, A. ; Martins, T. F. ; Moraes-Filho, J.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia; v. 75, n. 5, p. 6-pg., 2023-09-01.

Abstract

This study evaluated by molecular methods the presence of major canine tick-borne agents in ticks infesting domestic dogs of a hospital population in a neglected area of the southern zone of the Sao Paulo Metropolitan region, which is characterized by an extensive urban area surrounded and interspersed by forest remnants of the original Atlantic rainforest. During 2017, 106 tick specimens - 71 adults and 33 nymphs of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.), and two adults of Amblyomma aureolatum - were collected from 41 dogs that were attended in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Sao Paulo City, Brazil. By molecular analyses, 4.2% (3/71) of the R. sanguineus s.l. adult ticks contained the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, 2.8% (2/71) contained the bacterium Ehrlichia canis, and 4.2% (3/71) contained the protozoan Rangelia vitalii. These results indicate that domestic dogs of the southern zone of the Sao Paulo metropolitan region might be exposed to three of the major tick-borne agents affecting dogs in Brazil, R. rickettsii, E. canis and R. vitalii. In addition, the findings reinforce the circulation of the human pathogen R. rickettsii in the study area in a likely enzootic cycle involving dogs and R. sanguineus ticks. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/26904-9 - Molecular detection of Ehrlichia canis, Rangelia vitallii and Rickettsia rickettsii in ticks collected from dogs served in the Veterinary Hospital at the University of Santo Amaro
• Grantee: Laura Zulzke Barboza Legname
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation