Abstract
Rickettsia amblyommatis has been reported infecting various tick species throughout the western hemisphere, including Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto (s.s.). The present study aimed to evaluate whether R. amblyommatis can be maintained by transovarial transmission and transstadial passage in A. cajennense s.s. ticks, and whether these ticks are competent vectors of this rickettsial agent. We selected engorged females that were naturally infected or uninfected by R. amblyommatis, and reared their offspring (infected and control groups, respectively). Immature ticks were allowed to feed on guinea pigs, whereas adults fed on rabbits. All stages and individuals of each generation of the infected group yielded rickettsial DNA, which was not detected in any tick from the control group. No host from the control group seroconverted to R. amblyommatis. Among 16 guinea pigs and eight rabbits infested with R. amblyommatis-infected ticks, only one guinea pig seroconverted to R. amblyommatis. Some unfed adult ticks of the infected group were dissected, and DNA was extracted from their salivary glands and from their carcasses. DNA of R. amblyommatis was detected in all carcasses, but not in the salivary glands. Results of this study indicate very low vector competence of A. cajennense s.s. for R. amblyommatis. Previous studies reported domestic animals with high titers to R. amblyommatis in areas where these animals are naturally infested chiefly by A. cajennense s.s. ticks. One may consider that the vector competence of A. cajennense s.s. for R. amblyommatis could vary among tick populations and/or rickettsial strains.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barrett A, Little SE, Shaw E (2014) ‘Rickettsia amblyommii’ and R. montanensis infection in dogs following natural exposure to ticks. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 14:20–25
Burgdorfer W, Hayes SF, Thomas LA, Lancaster JL (1981) A new spotted fever group rickettsia from the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. In: Burgdorfer W, Anacker R (eds) Rickettsiae and rickettsial diseases. Academic, New York, pp 595–602
Costa FB, da Costa AP, Moraes-Filho J, Martins TF, Soares HS, Ramirez DG, Dias RA, Labruna MB (2017) Rickettsia amblyommatis infecting ticks and exposure of domestic dogs to Rickettsia spp. in an Amazon-Cerrado transition region of northeastern Brazil. PLoS ONE 12:e0179163
Gerardi M, Ramírez-Hernández A, Binder LC, Krawczak FS, Gregori F, Labruna MB (2019) Comparative susceptibility of different populations of Amblyomma sculptum to Rickettsia rickettsii. Front Physiol 10:653
Karpathy SE, Slater KS, Goldsmith CS, Nicholson WL, Paddock CD (2016) Rickettsia amblyommatis sp. nov., a spotted fever group Rickettsia associated with multiple species of Amblyomma ticks in North, Central and South America. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 66:5236–5243
Krawczak FS, Agostinho WC, Polo G, Moraes-Filho J, Labruna MB (2016) Comparative evaluation of Amblyomma ovale ticks infected and noninfected by Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest, the agent of an emerging rickettsiosis in Brazil. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 7:502–507
Labruna MB (2018) Comparative survival of the engorged stages of Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto and Amblyomma sculptum under different laboratory conditions. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 9:996–1001
Labruna MB, Whitworth T, Bouyer DH, McBride JW, Camargo LMA, Camargo EP, Popov V, Walker DH (2004) Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia amblyommii in Amblyomma ticks from the state of Rondônia, Western Amazon, Brazil. J Med Entomol 41:1073–1081
Labruna MB, Pacheco RC, Nava S, Brandão PE, Richtzenhain LJ, Guglielmone AA (2007) Infection by Rickettsia bellii and Candidatus ‘Rickettsia amblyommii’ in Amblyomma neumannii ticks from Argentina. Microb Ecol 54:126–133
Mangold AJ, Bargues MD, Mas-Coma S (1998) Mitochondrial 16S rDNAsequences and phylogenetic relationships of species of Rhipicephalus and other tick genera among Metastriata (Acari: Ixodidae). Parasitol Res 84:478–484
Martins TF, Barbieri AR, Costa FB, Terassini FA, Camargo LM, Peterka CR, de Pacheco CR, Dias RA, Nunes PH, Marcili A, Scofield A, Campos AK, Horta MC, Guilloux AG, Benatti HR, Ramirez DG, Barros-Battesti DM, Labruna MB (2016) Geographical distribution of Amblyomma cajennense (sensu lato) ticks (Parasitiformes: Ixodidae) in Brazil, with description of the nymph of A. cajennense (sensu stricto). Parasit Vectors 9:186
Minervino AH, Lima JT, Soares HS, Malheiros AF, Marcili A, Krawczak Fda S, Lopes MG, Martins TF, Moreira TR, Ribeiro MF, Labruna MB, Gennari SM (2015) Seroprevalence of tick-borne pathogens and tick infestation in dogs from Tapirapé and Karajá indigenous communities, Brazil. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 15:412–418
Monteiro JL (1931) Estudos sobre o typho exanthematico de S. Paulo. Mem Inst Butantan 6:5–135
Monteiro JL (1933) Comportamento experimental do Coelho aos virus do typho Exanthemático de São Paulo e da febre maculosa das Montanhas Rochosas. Mem Inst Butantan 8:3–80
Nieri-Bastos FA, Szabó MP, Pacheco RC, Soares JF, Soares HS, Moraes-Filho J, Dias RA, Labruna MB (2013) Comparative evaluation of infected and noninfected Amblyomma triste ticks with Rickettsia parkeri, the agent of anemerging rickettsiosis in the New World. Biomed Res Int 2013:402737
Parola P, Paddock CD, Socolovschi C, Labruna MB, Mediannikov O, Kernif T, Abdad MY, Stenos J, Bitam I, Fournier PE, Raoult D (2013) Update on tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: a geographic approach. Clin Microbiol Rev 26:657–702
Sangioni LA, Horta MC, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Soares RM, Galvão MA, Schumaker TT, Ferreira F, Vidotto O, Labruna MB (2005) Rickettsial infection in animals and Brazilian spotted fever endemicity. Emerg Infect Dis 11:265–270
Saraiva DG, Nieri-Bastos FA, Horta MC, Soares HS, Nicola PA, Pereira LC, Labruna MB (2013) Rickettsia amblyommii infecting Amblyomma auricularium ticks in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil: isolation, transovarial transmission, and transstadial perpetuation. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 13:615–618
Soares HS, Barbieri AR, Martins TF, Minervino AH, de Lima JT, Marcili A, Gennari SM, Labruna MB (2015) Ticks and rickettsial infection in the wildlife of two regions of the Brazilian Amazon. Exp Appl Acarol 65:125–140
Zanetti AS, Pornwiroon W, Kearney MT, Macaluso KR (2008) Characterization of rickettsial infection in Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. J Med Entomol 45:267–275
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP 2015/01345-7) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq 305872/2013-3), Brazil.
Funding
Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP 2015/01345-7) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq 305872/2013-3), Brazil.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
HRB and HRL designed, conducted the work with lab animals, dissected the ticks and wrote. LCB e FBC performed immunofluorescence reactions. HSS provided the ticks colonies. MBL coordinated all the work and wrote.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Not applicable.
Ethical approval
All animal procedures were authorized by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of São Paulo (CEUA project No. 2116150416). All methods were performed in accordance with the guidelines and regulations of the Brazilian National Council of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA).
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Benatti, H.R., Binder, L.C., Costa, F.B. et al. Maintenance of the infection by Rickettsia amblyommatis in Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto ticks and evaluation of vector competence. Exp Appl Acarol 82, 151–159 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00537-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00537-8