Species richness and seasonal dynamics of ticks with notes on rickettsial infection in a Natural Park of the Cerrado biome in Brazil

Barbieri, Amália Regina Mar; Szabó, Matías Pablo Juan; Costa, Francisco Borges; Soares, Herbert Sousa; Pascoli, Graziela Virginia Tolesano; Torga, Khelma; Saraiva, Danilo Gonçalves; Osava, Carolina Fonseca; Gerardi, Monize; Dias, Ricardo Augusto; Moraes, Edsel A.; Ferreira, Fernando; Castro, Márcio Botelho de; Labruna, Marcelo B.

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.12.010

Cited by 44 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Forests are preferred ecological niche of A. sculptum ticks [19, 56, 57], the main vectors of the BSF agent ( R. rickettsii ) [16]. In particular, environmental tick burdens were found to be much higher across human-modified landscapes than across natural landscapes studied here [19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-induced changes in habitat preference by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their potential effect on zoonotic disease transmission

Dias

Stabach

Huang

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Human activities are changing landscape structure and function globally, affecting wildlife space use, and ultimately increasing human-wildlife conflicts and zoonotic disease spread. Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a conflict species that has been implicated in the spread and amplification of the most lethal tick-borne disease in the world, the Brazilian spotted fever (BSF). Even though essential to understand the link between capybaras, ticks and the BSF, many knowledge gaps still exist regarding the effects of human disturbance in capybara space use. Here, we analyzed diurnal and nocturnal habitat selection strategies of capybaras across natural and human-modified landscapes using resource selection functions (RSF). Selection for forested habitats was high across human- modified landscapes, mainly during day- periods. Across natural landscapes, capybaras avoided forests during both day- and night periods. Water was consistently selected across both landscapes, during day- and nighttime. This variable was also the most important in predicting capybara habitat selection across natural landscapes. Capybaras showed slightly higher preferences for areas near grasses/shrubs across natural landscapes, and this variable was the most important in predicting capybara habitat selection across human-modified landscapes. Our results demonstrate human-driven variation in habitat selection strategies by capybaras. This behavioral adjustment across human-modified landscapes may be related to BSF epidemiology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-induced changes in habitat preference by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their potential effect on zoonotic disease transmission

Dias

Stabach

Huang

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Also, distance to the nearest riparian forest patch had a great influence in capybara habitat selection across humanmodified landscapes of the Colombian Llanos [61]. The high selection for forests by capybaras across human-modified landscapes may put these amplifying hosts in closer contact with A. sculptum ticks, the main vector for the BSF agent, R. rickettsii [10], since degraded forests are the preferred habitats of A. sculptum ticks [24,25]. A parallel study that evaluated same capybara groups of the present study reported an overall mean abundance of A. sculptum ticks on capybaras significantly higher across humanmodified landscapes than in natural areas [37].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…be highly efficient hosts across human-modified landscapes, increasing their already described capacity in maintaining and carrying large numbers of A. sculptum [10], due to shared preferences for forested habitats with this tick [24,25].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The role of vertebrate-amplifying hosts in sustaining R. rickettsii populations has been welldiscussed, with results showing that A. sculptum is unable to sustain the bacterium by itself over consecutive generations [10,23]. In the Brazilian Cerrado, previous research showed that this tick species is more abundant in forested habitats (cerradão and gallery forests) than in open fields or seasonally flooded habitats [24,25]. In this context, understanding how capybaras select their habitats across landscapes with different levels of anthropogenic disturbance and vegetation cover (open field versus forests) may have important implications for the ecological relationships between capybaras, ticks, and consequently, BSF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat selection in natural and human-modified landscapes by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), an important host for Amblyomma sculptum ticks

et al. 2020

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Human activities are changing landscape structure and function globally, affecting wildlife space use, and ultimately increasing human-wildlife conflicts and zoonotic disease spread. Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are linked to conflicts in human-modified landscapes (e.g. crop damage, vehicle collision), as well as the spread and amplification of Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), the most human-lethal tick-borne disease in the world. Even though it is essential to understand the link between capybaras, ticks and BSF, many knowledge gaps still exist regarding the effects of human disturbance in capybara space use. Here, we analyzed diurnal and nocturnal habitat selection strategies of capybaras across natural and human-modified landscapes using resource selection functions (RSF). Selection for forested habitats was higher across human-modified landscapes, mainly during dayperiods, when compared to natural landscapes. Across natural landscapes, capybaras avoided forests during both day-and night periods. Water was consistently selected across both landscapes, during day-and nighttime. Distance to water was also the most important

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“…Ticks were collected between 2007 and 2013 at three sites in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil: Serra da Canastra National Park (20°18′S, 46°32′W) -ticks collected from vegetation; Grande Sertão Veredas National Park (15°18', 45°49') -ticks collected from vegetation; and the Guarda Mor municipality (17°42'S, 47°04'W) -ticks collected from a road-killed capybara. Details on the collection of these ticks in each locality have been published elsewhere (COSTA et al, 2017;SZABÓ et al, 2018;BARBIERI et al, 2019). Although all three areas were within the Cerrado biome, the two National Park areas were highly preserved, whereas the area where the road-killed capybara was found was dominated by an agricultural landscape.…”

Section: Sampling Sites and Tick Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular survey of flaviviruses and orthobunyaviruses in Amblyomma spp. ticks collected in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Binder

Tauro

Farías

et al. 2019

Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet.

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Due to anthropic environmental changes, vector-borne diseases are emerging worldwide. Ticks are known vectors of several pathogens of concern among humans and animals. In recent decades, several examples of tick-borne emerging viral diseases have been reported (Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Powassan virus, encephalitis virus, heartland virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus). Unfortunately, few studies addressing the presence of viruses in wild ticks have been carried out in South America. With the aim of detecting flaviviruses and orthobunyaviruses in ticks, we carried out molecular detection in wild ticks collected in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. No Flavivirus-positive ticks were detected; however, we detected activity of Orthobunyavirus in 8 Amblyomma tick specimens. One of those individuals was positive for Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus, which represents the first report of this virus among ticks in South America. Further studies related to the ecology of zoonotic diseases are needed to increase knowledge of this topic, including attempts at viral isolation, full genome sequencing and biological characterization. In this way, we will obtain a better picture of the real risk of ticks as a vector for viral diseases for humans and animals on our continent, where no tick-borne viral disease is known to occur.

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Species richness and seasonal dynamics of ticks with notes on rickettsial infection in a Natural Park of the Cerrado biome in Brazil

Cited by 44 publications

References 72 publications

Human-induced changes in habitat preference by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their potential effect on zoonotic disease transmission

Human-induced changes in habitat preference by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their potential effect on zoonotic disease transmission

Habitat selection in natural and human-modified landscapes by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), an important host for Amblyomma sculptum ticks

Molecular survey of flaviviruses and orthobunyaviruses in Amblyomma spp. ticks collected in Minas Gerais, Brazil

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