Soft and hard ticks (Parasitiformes: Ixodida) on humans: A review of Brazilian biomes and the impact of environmental change

Nogueira, Bárbara Cristina Félix; Campos, Artur Kanadani; Muñoz-Léal, Sebastián; Pintér, Adriano; Martins, Thiago F.

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106598

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 128 publications

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“…Hayman [33] and Subudhi et al [34] highlight that, in recent years, interest in bat research has increased due to the occurrence of the spillover phenomenon, in other words, the transmission of a pathogen from its natural reservoir or host species to a new host species, thus enhancing the possibility of spreading diseases to humans and other mammals. In Brazil, the number of complaints of human infestations by bat ticks inside urban and rural households has increased substantially in recent years [93][94][95][96]. Indeed, health authorities should be aware of the possibility of emerging vector-borne diseases linked to bats in Brazil.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectoparasitas em morcegos (Mammalia: Chiroptera) e seus patógenos na região central de Rondônia, oeste da Amazônia brasileira

Júnior,

Cunha,

Jorge

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In Brazil, few people know that in the Tupi language bats are called ‘andirá’, ‘guandira’, or ‘guandiruçu’. The lack of knowledge about these animals is not restricted to these names but to the diversity of species, their biological complexity and their ecological importance. Bats (Chiroptera) are among the most diverse and geographically dispersed mammals. They are of great importance to the ecosystem, as pollinators, seed dispersers, and controllers of pests, and they are also hosts of several ectoparasites. Ectoparasites include a variety of arthropods, such as ticks (Ixodida), mites (Mesostigmata, Sarcoptiformes, and Trombidiformes), lice (Anoplura), fleas (Siphonaptera) and flies (Diptera), and their diet includes tissues and blood or other bodily fluids of bats. Bats are reservoirs of various disease-causing agents, many of them pathogenic to humans, such as bacteria of the genera Borrelia, Bartonella, Coxiella, Orientia and Rickettsia, as well as protozoa (among the most important, Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi), viruses (the most important being rabies and Ebola) and fungi (Histoplasma and Crytococcus). This study was carried out in Monte Negro, Rondônia, and the occurrence of ectoparasites in bats was evaluated, as well as the bacteria of medical importance carried by these ectoparasites. Through a total of 69 nocturnal captures, 217 specimens of chiropterans representing 23 species and six families were sampled. A total of 592 specimens of ectoparasites were collected from the bats. Bacteria of the genus Bartonella were found in two species of bat flies (Trichobius joblingi and Strebla mirabilis). We report for the first time in Rondônia the argasid tick Ornithodoros hasei and its infection by a bacterium of the spotted fever group Candidatus Rickettsia wissemanii.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectoparasitas em morcegos (Mammalia: Chiroptera) e seus patógenos na região central de Rondônia, oeste da Amazônia brasileira

Júnior,

Cunha,

Jorge

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Vector densities may be higher in high suitable areas, which could increase the population’s exposure to vectors and the risk of infectious disease [ 9 ]. This should alert areas with vector colonization and increase local health education campaigns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These sensitivities mean that, in some areas, a warmer climate may increase the duration of development and host-seeking activity [ 8 ]. These phenomena may increase the chances of vector-human contact and risk of related diseases [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting the global potential distribution of two major vectors of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever under conditions of global climate change

Ji,

Wei,

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tick-borne disease that is highly dangerous but often overlooked by the public. To prevent the spread of the disease, it is important to understand the distribution patterns of its vectors’ suitable areas. This study aims to explore the potential global suitability of areas for the vectors of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, including Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma cajennense under both historical and future climate scenarios. The study also seeks to investigate the impact of climatic factors on the distribution patterns of these vectors. Data on species distribution were downloaded from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Web of Science and PubMed database. The climatic variables were downloaded from WorldClim Global Climate Database. The Maximum Entropy Model was used to evaluate the contribution of monthly precipitation, monthly maximum temperature, monthly minimum temperature, elevation, and nineteen other climatic variables to vector survival, as well as to predict the suitable area for the vectors. We found that D. variabilis is distributed in North America, while A. cajennense is mainly distributed in South America, but all other continents except Antarctica have a suitable distribution. D. variabilis is more likely to survive in temperate regions, and A. cajennense is more likely to survive in tropical zones. D. variabilis is more sensitive to temperature, whereas A. cajennense is sensitive to both temperature and precipitation, and A. cajennense prefers tropical regions with hot and humid characteristics. The high suitable areas of both vectors were almost expanded in the ssp5-8.5 scenario, but not so much in the ssp1-2.6 scenario. Highly suitable areas with vectors survival should be strengthened with additional testing to prevent related diseases from occurring, and other highly suitable areas should be alert for entry and exit monitoring to prevent invasion and colonization of vectors.

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“…Larvae and nymphs are also commonly reported on species of order Carnivora, medium-sized rodents and marsupials, as well as large ground-inhabiting birds. Amblyomma cajennense s.s. is an opportunistic tick-borne microbe that can parasitize humans in the Amazon biome [ 25 – 27 ]. Moreover, A. cajennense s.s. ticks are often infected (20–26%) by Rickettsia amblyommatis (formerly ‘ Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii ’), which is successfully maintained by transovarial and transstadial transmission [ 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal dynamics of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) sensu stricto in a degraded area of the Amazon biome, with notes on Rickettsia amblyommatis infection

de Araújo,

Martins,

Ramos

et al. 2023

Parasites Vectors

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Background The tick Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto (A. cajennense s.s.) frequently parasitizes animals and humans in the Amazon biome, in addition to being a vector of Rickettsia amblyommatis. In the present study, we evaluated both the population dynamics of A. cajennense s.s. in a degraded area of the Amazon biome and the presence of rickettsial organisms in this tick population. Methods The study was carried out in a rural area of the Santa Inês municipality (altitude: 24 m a.s.l.), Maranhão state, Brazil. Ticks were collected from the environment for 24 consecutive months, from June 2021 to May 2023. The region is characterized by two warm seasons: a rainy season (November–May) and a dry season (June–October). We characterized the temporal activity of A. cajennense s.s. on the vegetation by examining questing activity for each life stage (larvae, nymphs, adults [males and females]) in relation to the dry and rainy season. Ticks collected in this study were randomly selected and individually tested by a TaqMan real-time PCR assay that targeted a 147-bp fragment of the rickettsial gltA gene. Results Overall, 1843 (62.4%) adults (52.6% females, 47.4% males), 1110 (37.6%) nymphs and 398 larval clusters were collected. All adult females and nymphs were morphologically identified as A. cajennense s.s. Larval activity was observed from April to December, with a peak from June to September (dry season); nymph abundance peaked from September to November (transition period between dry and rainy seasons); and adult ticks were abundant from October to May (spring/summer/early autumn). The infection rate by R. amblyommatis in A. cajennense s.s. ticks was at least 7% (7/99). Conclusion Our data suggest a 1-year generation pattern for A. cajennense s.s., with a well-defined seasonality of larvae, nymphs and adults in the Amazon biome. Larvae predominate during the dry season, nymphs are most abundant in the dry-rainy season transition and adults are most abundant in the rainy season. The presence of R. amblyommatis in adult ticks suggests that animals and humans in the study region are at risk of infection by this species belonging to the spotted fever group of Rickettsia. Graphical Abstract

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Soft and hard ticks (Parasitiformes: Ixodida) on humans: A review of Brazilian biomes and the impact of environmental change

Cited by 18 publications

References 128 publications

Ectoparasitas em morcegos (Mammalia: Chiroptera) e seus patógenos na região central de Rondônia, oeste da Amazônia brasileira

Ectoparasitas em morcegos (Mammalia: Chiroptera) e seus patógenos na região central de Rondônia, oeste da Amazônia brasileira

Predicting the global potential distribution of two major vectors of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever under conditions of global climate change

Seasonal dynamics of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) sensu stricto in a degraded area of the Amazon biome, with notes on Rickettsia amblyommatis infection

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