Diversity of ticks and detection of Rickettsia amblyommatis infecting ticks on wild birds in anthropogenic landscapes in Bahia state, northeast Brazil

Abstract

Birds are important hosts in the maintenance and spread of ticks worldwide, including several species of Amblyomma which harbor rickettsial agents as members of the spotted fever group (SFG). The current survey shows the diversity of tick and rickettsial agents infecting ticks on wild birds from an Atlantic rainforest in the state of Bahia, Brazil. A total of 365 birds were captured, representing two orders, 22 families and 51 species, among which 68 specimens (18.6%) were parasitized. Overall, 132 immature ticks (81 larvae and 51 nymphs) were identified to species level, representing six recognized species of the genus Amblyomma: Amblyomma longirostre (n = 45), Amblyomma nodosum (n = 40), Amblyomma varium (n = 5), Amblyomma parkeri (n = 2), Amblyomma coelebs (n = 3) and Amblyomma calcaratum (n = 1). Amplification by PCR and sequencing of rickettsial genes (gltA and ompA), detected the presence of Rickettsia DNA in 12 (9.1%) of the ticks. Rickettsia amblyommatis was the only agent detected in nine larvae and two nymphs of A. longirostre and one nymph of A. varium with 99-100% similarity.

Potential Role of Avian Populations in the Epidemiology of Rickettsia spp. and Babesia spp.

“…R. amblyommatis, as well as R. bellii, was also found in A. longirostre and A. calcaratum recovered from wild birds in Brazil [31,32]. Amblyomma spp.…”

Rickettsia amblyommatis in Ticks: A Review of Distribution, Pathogenicity, and Diversity

“…In the USA, R. amblyommatis has a wide geographic range, being identified in ticks as far south as Florida, as far west as Kansas, and as far north as New York [ 47 , 65 ] ( Figure 1 ; Table 1 ). Outside of the United States, R. amblyommatis was detected in Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Belize, Chile, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Paraguay, Pakistan, French Guiana, and El Salvador [ 97 , 102 , 103 , 110 , 111 , 118 , 126 , 141 , 142 , 147 , 149 , 150 , 153 , 156 , 159 , 160 , 163 , 186 ] ( Figure 1 ; Table 1 ). In Table 1 , the geographic range of R. amblyommatis for different tick species and the percentage infected in the population sampled are summarized.…”