Free-living ticks in a cerrado fragment, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The fatal cases of spotted fever reported in some Brazilian municipalities are generally associated with the presence of ticks and capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). The urban forest fragments where this rodent is present are of great concern. We investigated the diversity of free ticks as well...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inBioscience journal Vol. 34; no. 4
Main Authors Jaqueline Matias, Wilson Werner Koller, Marcos Valerio Garcia, Jacqueline Cavalcante Barros, Maria Dolores Esteve-Gassent, André de Abreu Rangel Aguirre, Leandro de Oliveira Souza Higa, Namor Pinheiro Zimmermann, Renato Andreotti
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Universidade Federal de Uberlândia 01.08.2018
Subjects
Amblyomma dubitatum
Amblyomma sculptum
Rickettsia spp
Tick diversity
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The fatal cases of spotted fever reported in some Brazilian municipalities are generally associated with the presence of ticks and capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). The urban forest fragments where this rodent is present are of great concern. We investigated the diversity of free ticks as well as the occurrence of ticks infected by Rickettsia in one of these fragments, in Campo Grande city, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. From winter 2012 until the autumn of 2015, using CO2 traps, we collect 1219 ticks, of which 1045 belonged to the species Amblyomma sculptum and 174 belonged to A. dubitatum. Both species were more abundant in spring (September to December) and summer (December to March). Rickettsial DNA was not detected in any of the specimens collected; however, one of the species found, A. sculptum is considered the main vector of Brazilian Spotted Fever, thus deserving constant vigilance by the public health organs.
ISSN:1981-3163