Tick-borne rickettsiosis is an important emerging disease in Panama; to date, there have been 12 confirmed cases, including eight fatalities. To evaluate the distribution of rickettsiae in Panamanian ticks, we collected questing and on-host ticks in urban and rural towns in elevations varying between 0 and 2300 m. A total of 63 sites (13 urban and 50 rural towns) were used to develop models of spatial distributions. We found the following tick species: Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (present in 54 of 63 towns and cities), Amblyomma mixtum (45/63), Dermacentor nitens (40/63), A. ovale (37/63), Rhipicephalus microplus (33/63), A. oblongoguttatum (33/63), Ixodes affinis (3/63), and Ixodes boliviensis (2/63). Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. was present in urban and rural towns, and other species were present only in rural towns. DNA was extracted from 408 R. sanguineus s.l., 387 A. mixtum, 103 A. ovale, and 11 A. oblongoguttatum and later tested for rickettsiae genes using PCR. Rickettsia DNA was detected in ticks from 21 of 63 localities. Rickettsia rickettsii was detected in five A. mixtum (1.29%), and Candidatus "Rickettsia amblyommii" was found in 138 A. mixtum (35%), 14 R. sanguineus (3.4%), and one A. ovale (0.9%). These results suggest that much of rural Panama is suitable for the expansion of tick populations and could favor the appearance of new tick-borne rickettsiosis outbreaks.
This work emphasizes the detection of Candidatus “Rickettsia amblyommii” in questing Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and Amblyomma mixtum. From February 2009 to December 2012, questing ticks were collected from the vegetation and leaf-litter of four protected forests and two grassy areas around the Panama Canal basin. DNA was extracted from Amblyomma mixtum, Amblyomma naponense, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma pecarium, Amblyomma tapirellum, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, and unidentified immature Amblyomma. Specific primers of citrate synthase gene gltA were used to detect and identify the rickettsiae. Amplicons with the expected band size were purified and sequenced. DNA of C. “R. amblyommii” was found in A. mixtum, H. juxtakochi and Amblyomma immatures. To our knowledge, these finding represent the first report of C. “R. amblyommii” in free-living ticks in the wilderness of Central America.
Introducción. Los ectoparásitos son los principales vectores de rickettsiosis. En Panamá se tienen escasos datos sobre los artrópodos que pudieran considerarse vectores o reservorios. Objetivos. Presentar datos sobre la presencia de Rickettsia spp. en ectoparásitos de fauna silvestre y animales domésticos en la Reserva Natural Privada Cerro Chucantí y poblados vecinos. Materiales y métodos. Se revisaron 9 personas, 95 mamíferos domésticos y 48 silvestres. Los animales domésticos se examinaron con anuencia del propietario, mientras que la fauna silvestre se capturó con trampas Sherman y Tomahawk. Se extrajeron 21 especies de ectoparásitos: pulgas, piojos, garrapatas y otros ácaros, los cuales se preservaron en etanol al 95 %. Se extrajo material genético de garrapatas y pulgas para ser analizado por técnicas moleculares en la detección de Rickettsia spp. Introduction. Ectoparasites are the main vectors of rickettsiosis. In Panama, however, limited data are available concerning the arthropod species that serve as vectors or reservoirs. Objectives. Data are presented concerning the presence of Rickettsia in ectoparasites of wildlife and domestic animals in the Cerro Chucantí private nature reserve and in neighboring villages. Materials and methods. Nine humans, 95 domestic mammals and 48 wild mammals were examined. Twenty-one species of ectoparasites were obtained, including fleas, lice, ticks and mites. These were preserved in 95% ethanol. Later, the DNA was extracted from the ticks and fleas and analyzed by molecular techniques to detect presence of Rickettsia. Results. Of a total of 425 PCR reactions, 270 were positive for Rickettsia and 155 negative. Among the positive samples, 86 PCR amplified for the gltA gene (55% of positives) and 41 of these also amplified ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL Contribución de los autores:Sergio Bermúdez coordinó las actividades del proyecto, además de identificar los ectoparásitos, analizar los resultados y escribir el manuscrito. Roberto Miranda se encargó de las giras de campo. Yamitzel Zaldívar se encargó de las pruebas de laboratorio. Guido Berguido y Publio González identificaron los mamíferos silvestres. Diomedes Trejos, Juan Pascale y Marcelo Labruna, contribuyeron con la interpretación de los análisis moleculares y secuencias. Biomédica 2012;32:189-95 190 Bermúdez S, Miranda R, Zaldívar Y, et al. the ompA gene. DNA of Rickettsia amblyommii was found in horses ticks (Amblyomma cajennense, Dermacentor nitens), dogs ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) and free living nymphs in the forest. Additionally, DNA of R. felis was found in fleas from dogs Ctenocephalides felis. Conclusions. The presence of R. amblyommii and R. felis was detected in ticks and fleas of domestic animals in villages near Cerro Chucanti; however no Rickettsia DNA was found in ectoparasites of nondomestic wildlife.
En este trabajo de investigación se determinó la entomofauna del Orden Diptera, asociada a tres diferentes dietas de tejidos de cadáveres humanos (adiposo, músculo estriado y Liso). El estudio fue realizado en los Predios del Corregimiento de Juan Díaz, San Pedro N°1, por un período de 12 días continuos, del 3 al 14 de enero del 2012. Un total de especímenes fueron colectados del Orden Diptera (Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae). Los datos estadísticos arrojaron diferencias significativas entre las diferentes dietas de tejidos humanos.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.