A survey for rickettsial agents on Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) ticks in Northeastern Brazil

Atticus Tanikawa; Francisco Borges Costa; Maecelo Bahia Labruna; Sérgio Santos de Azevedo

A survey for rickettsial agents on Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) ticks in Northeastern Brazil

2013

Atticus Tanikawa | Francisco Borges Costa | Maecelo Bahia Labruna | Sérgio Santos de Azevedo

In this study, rickettsial infection was searched in 108 canine blood samples and 22 Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida,Ixodidae) ticks collected on these dogs during 2011 and 2012 in Patos municipality, state of Paraíba, northeasternBrazil. Blood samples were tested through indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) by using antigens of six Rickettsiaspecies isolates from Brazil. All 108 dogs tested seronegative for R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii, R. felis, R.rhipicephali, and R. bellii antigens, suggesting a non-endemic status of the studied region for spotted fever ricketsiosis.Among 22 R. sanguineus ticks, R. felis was detected in one (4.5%) specimen by PCR targeting a portion of the rickettsialgltA gene. The possible implications of this unusual PCR finding are discussed.

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