Morphological anomalies in hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from Brazil.

Tick abnormalities have been unusual in nature, and they can be divided into local and general. In the present study, external morphological anomalies were described in 31 individual adult ticks of 15 different species of Ixodidae, which were collected on wild hosts (20 ticks), domestic hosts (7 ticks), and in the environment (4 ticks) in 11 states of Brazil from 1998 to 2022. Among the 31 tick specimens, 14 (45%) were categorized as local anomalies, and 17 (55%) as general anomalies.

Morphometric Patterns and Blood Biochemistry of Capybaras () from Human-Modified Landscapes and Natural Landscapes in Brazil.

The capybara, is the largest extant rodent of the world. To better understand the correlation between size and body mass, and biochemical parameters of capybaras from areas with different degrees of anthropization (i.e.

Small mammals, ticks and rickettsiae in natural and human-modified landscapes: Diversity and occurrence of Brazilian spotted fever in Brazil.

We studied communities of small mammals and their ticks in endemic (E) and non-endemic (NE) areas for Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), aiming to infer if diversity parameters of parasites and hosts could be related to occurrence and prevalence of rickettsial infection, especially Rickettsia rickettsii. We compared E and NE areas in human-modified landscapes (HMLs) and natural areas (BIO) with no report of BSF cases. Composition and equitability were important components of diversity explaining differences among areas.

Relapsing Fever Group Borreliae in Human-Biting Soft Ticks, Brazil.

We conducted a molecular survey for Borrelia spp. in Ornithodoros ticks previously reported as biting humans. We collected specimens in natural ecosystems and inside human dwellings in 6 states in Brazil.

Isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in the Midwestern Brazil revealed high genetic diversity and new genotypes.

We aimed to describe the genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii strains isolated from domestic animals, wildlife and humans in the Midwestern Brazil. For this purpose, fragments of tissue samples (heart, brain and lung) from 35 dogs, four cats, 105 wildlife, and amniotic fluids from eight pregnant women were collected and submitted to mouse bioassay test. In a total, 22 isolates from nine dogs, one cat, ten wild animals and two women were obtained.

Ectoparasites of small mammals in a fragmented area of the southern Amazonia: interaction networks and correlations with seasonality and host sex.

The present work aimed to analyze the ectoparasite-host interaction network and possible differences of this interaction related to two seasonal periods and host sex. During November 2016 and July 2017, non-flying small mammals were captured in 17 forest fragments located in the southern portion of the Amazon biome. We captured 96 individuals belonging to 10 host species that were parasitized with a total of 3668 ectoparasites.

Epidemiology of capybara-associated Brazilian spotted fever.

Background: Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, has been associated with the transmission by the tick Amblyomma sculptum, and one of its main hosts, the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris).

Methods: During 2015-2019, we captured capybaras and ticks in seven highly anthropic areas of São Paulo state (three endemic and four nonendemic for BSF) and in two natural areas of the Pantanal biome, all with established populations of capybaras.

Results: The BSF-endemic areas were characterized by much higher tick burdens on both capybaras and in the environment, when compared to the BSF-nonendemic areas.

Detection of Rickettsia spp. in ticks associated to wild mammals in Northeastern Brazil, with notes on an undetermined Ornithodoros sp. collected from marsupials.

We report tick infestations and rickettsial detection in ticks infesting free-living wild mammals (Monodelphis domestica, Tolypeutes tricinctus, Thrichomys inermis and Kerodon rupestris) captured in the Caatinga ecoregion of Bahia state, northeastern Brazil, during September to December 2016. Overall, 117 ticks (61 larvae, 25 nymphs, 25 males, 6 females) belonging to two genera, and at least three species were collected: Amblyomma auricularium, Amblyomma parvum, Amblyomma sp., Ornithodoros rietcorreai and an unidentified Ornithodoros sp.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Serra da Canastra National Park in Minas Gerais, Brazil: species, abundance, ecological and seasonal aspects with notes on rickettsial infection.

The Cerrado Biome is the second largest in Brazil covering roughly 2 million km, with varying features throughout its area. The Biome is endangered but it is also source of animal species for rural, green urban and degraded rainforest areas. Ticks are among Cerrado species that establish at anthropogenic sites and although information about them is steadily increasing, several features are unknown.

A new pathogen spillover from domestic to wild animals: Plasmodium juxtanucleare infects free-living passerines in Brazil.

Habitat modification may facilitate the emergence of novel pathogens, and the expansion of agricultural frontiers make domestic animals important sources of pathogen spillover to wild animals. We demonstrate for the first time that Plasmodium juxtanucleare, a widespread parasite from domestic chickens, naturally infects free-living passerines. We sampled 68 wild birds within and at the border of conservation units in central Brazil composed by Cerrado, a highly threatened biome.

Seropositivity for Rickettsia spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in the human population of Mato Grosso, Central-Western Brazil.

Introduction: The epidemiology of Rickettsia and Ehrlichia species infection is underestimated in Mato Grosso State.

Methods:: Serum samples obtained during a Dengue outbreak in 2011-2012 were tested via indirect immunofluorescence and/or ELISA.

Results:: Samples from 19/506 (3.

Minimum infection rate of Ehrlichia minasensis in Rhipicephalus microplus and Amblyomma sculptum ticks in Brazil.

A new genotype phylogenetically close to Ehrlichia canis named as Ehrlichia minasensis was identified infecting cattle and deer in Canada, as well as Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and cattle in Brazil. Although it was detected in R. microplus, little is known about the epidemiology of this ehrlichiosis, especially in other tick species.

Geographical distribution of Amblyomma cajennense (sensu lato) ticks (Parasitiformes: Ixodidae) in Brazil, with description of the nymph of A. cajennense (sensu stricto).

Background: Until recently, Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) was considered to represent a single tick species in the New World. Recent studies have split this taxon into six species. While the A.

Rickettsial infection in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of wild animals in midwestern Brazil.

Ticks collected in the last two decades from free-living and captive wild animals from 28 municipalities of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso were identified and tested using molecular methods for the presence of rickettsial agents. A total of 4467 ticks (229 larvae, 1676 nymphs, 1565 males, 997 females) representing 27 ixodid species were collected from 235 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals from three different ecoregions (Pantanal, Cerrado, and Amazonia). The species Amblyomma parkeri, Amblyomma romitii, Amblyomma varium and Ixodes luciae are reported for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso.

Seroprevalence of Rickettsia spp. in Equids and Molecular Detection of 'Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii' in Amblyomma cajennense Sensu Lato Ticks From the Pantanal Region of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The aim of the study was to evaluate exposure of equids to rickettsial agents (Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, 'Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii', Rickettsia rhipicephali, and Rickettsia bellii) and rickettsial infection in ticks of a Pantanal region of Brazil. Sera of 547 equids (500 horses and 47 donkeys) were evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence assay. In total, 665 adults and 106 nymphal pools of Amblyomma cajennense F.

Rickettsial infection in ticks from wild birds from Cerrado and the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso, midwestern Brazil.

The involvement of different species of ticks and wild animals, such as birds, play an important role in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases. Birds may serve as reservoirs for some tick-borne diseases, and may carry and spread hematophagous ectoparasites mechanically. This study aimed to show the diversity of ticks on birds and molecular detection of rickettsial infection in ticks from Pantanal and Cerrado, two similar Brazilian biomes characterized by hydrological seasons.

Rickettsia parkeri infecting free-living Amblyomma triste ticks in the Brazilian Pantanal.

The present study evaluated the infection of rickettsiae in 151 Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 59 Amblyomma ovale, 166 Amblyomma triste, one Amblyomma dissimile and four Amblyomma dubitatum ticks collected in the municipality of Poconé, State of Mato Grosso, within the Pantanal biome of Brazil. Ticks were individually processed by the hemolymph test with Gimenez staining, isolation of rickettsia in Vero cell culture by the shell vial technique, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the citrate synthase rickettsial gene. Through the shell vial technique, rickettsiae were successfully isolated and established in Vero cell culture from one free-living A.

A novel Ehrlichia genotype strain distinguished by the TRP36 gene naturally infects cattle in Brazil and causes clinical manifestations associated with ehrlichiosis.

A novel Ehrlichia genotype most closely related to E. canis was reported in North American cattle in 2010, and a similar agent was subsequently identified in the hemolymph of Brazilian Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks and isolated in 2012. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this or other novel ehrlichial agents naturally infect Brazilian cattle.

Isolation and phylogenetic relationships of bat trypanosomes from different biomes in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

In the order Chiroptera, more than 30 trypanosome species belonging to the subgenera Herpetosoma, Schizotrypanum, Megatrypanum, and Trypanozoon have been described. The species Trypanosoma cruzi , Trypanosoma cruzi marinkellei, and Trypanosoma dionisii are the most common in bats and belong to the Schizotrypanum subgenus. Bats from 2 different biomes, Pantanal and Amazonia/Cerrado in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, were evaluated according to the presence of trypanosome parasites by means of hemoculture and PCR in primary samples (blood samples).

Rickettsial infection in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected on birds in southern Brazil.

The aim of the study was to evaluate rickettsial infection in ticks from wild birds of the Semidecidual and Atlantic Rainforest remnants of three municipalities of the State of Paraná, southern Brazil. Overall, 53 larvae and nymphs collected from birds were checked for the presence of Rickettsia DNA by molecular tests. Five tick species were tested: Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann, Amblyomma longirostre (Koch), Amblyomma ovale Koch, and Amblyomma parkeri Fonseca and Aragão.