Feral pigs as hosts for Amblyomma sculptum (Acari: Ixodidae) populations in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

The Pantanal in Brazil is the largest floodplain of the world. This ecosystem, rich in wildlife, has a large feral pig population. Such a large host biomass must have a strong influence on the parasite fauna. In this work, we evaluated the role of feral pigs in the maintenance of Amblyomma sculptum (formerly Amblyomma cajennense), the most prevalent tick species in the Pantanal. Tick infestations were evaluated on 243 feral pigs and their environment. The suitability of domestic pigs, representing their feral relatives, to A. sculptum adults and nymphs was assessed experimentally. Tick infestation of feral pigs was strongly associated with that of the environment: 96 and 97 % of the ticks, respectively, were A. sculptum. The infestation prevalence on this host species was close to 90 % in the dry season and 100 % in the wet season and mean infestation intensity was above 30 ticks in both seasons. Suitability of pigs as hosts for A. sculptum was shown by the high proportion of nymphs and female ticks found engorging on captured feral pigs and adequate biological parameters displayed by ticks from experimental infestations of domestic pigs. Other tick species on feral pigs, albeit in much lower numbers, were Amblyomma parvum and Ornithodorus rostratus. Results show that feral pigs feed a high proportion of the A. sculptum adults and nymphs in their territories and should be a target for tick-borne diseases studies. This is particularly relevant to public health because all the main tick species found on feral pigs are aggressive to humans as well.

Complementary data on four methods for sampling free-living ticks in the Brazilian Pantanal

“…In previous surveys in both environments and on animals from the same location, the same tick species dominated the samples (CAMPOS PEREIRA et al, 2000;CANÇADO et al, 2008;RAMOS et al, 2014a). However, several other tick species have been collected from wild animals as well (CAMPOS PEREIRA et al, 2000).…”

“…This study was carried out in Nhecolândia (18°59'15''S; 56°37'03''W), a subregion of the Brazilian Pantanal region, located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in an area with high levels of environmental infestation by ticks (RAMOS et al, 2014a), especially Amblyomma sculptum (Berlese, 1888), formerly Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius,1787) (NAVA et al, 2014). Four methods for tick collection from the environment were used.…”

Ticks and serosurvey of anti-Rickettsia spp. antibodies in wild boars (Sus scrofa), hunting dogs and hunters of Brazil

“…Although restricted to Brazilian Pantanal biome (floodplains), feral pigs, Sus scrofa L. (Artiodactyla, Suidae), have been previously suggested as hosts to A . sculptum [13, 14]. For the first time, A .…”

“…As large-bodied, non-native and the most invasive mammal species, wild boars have been considered as potential hosts of A . sculptum ticks in Brazilian biomes, particularly the Pantanal floodplains [13, 14].…”

Avaliação dos efeitos da saliva dos carrapatos das espécies Amblyomma sculptum, Amblyomma parvum e Rhipicephalus sanguineus sobre linhagens celulares tumorais de mama humanas e murina

“…A espécie Amblyomma sculptum está distribuída das áreas úmidas do norte da Argentina, para as regiões contíguas da Bolívia e do Paraguai e os estados das regiões costeiras e Centro Oeste do Brasil (NAVA et al, 2014). Assim sendo, relatos anteriores com Amblyomma cajennense nestas regiões do Brasil, devem ser considerados como referentes ao A. sculptum (RAMOS et al, 2014).…”