Sandra Enríquez, María L Félix, Sergio Bermúdez, Vanessa Mosquera, Lorne Farovitch, Franklin Vaca, Juan Manuel Guevara, José M Venzal
{"title":"Molecular detection of rickettsial agents in Amblyomma maculatum ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) from Ecuador.","authors":"Sandra Enríquez, María L Félix, Sergio Bermúdez, Vanessa Mosquera, Lorne Farovitch, Franklin Vaca, Juan Manuel Guevara, José M Venzal","doi":"10.1007/s11259-024-10410-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rickettsiales are obligate intracellular bacteria that need vertebrates and arthropods to maintain their life cycles. Some species of the genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia are transmitted by ticks to both animals and humans and can cause mild to severe and even fatal cases. In the Americas, there is substantial data on rickettsial agents, encompassing both clinical cases and the detection of these agents in ticks, but in Ecuador, the information about them remains poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to detect molecularly rickettsial agents in Amblyomma maculatum ticks in both parasitic and free-living phases collected from domestic animals and pasture in five localities across three coastal provinces of Ecuador. Rickettsia parkeri, Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae, and Ehrlichia sp. were recorded in A. maculatum for the first time in Ecuador. These records were made in a region where antibodies to the Spotted Fever Rickettsia Group were detected in humans. Additional studies are needed to characterize Ehrlichia sp. at a specific level. Furthermore, recognizing the specific Rickettsiales species circulating in the ticks and the hosts within a region is crucial for assessing potential contact risks.</p>","PeriodicalId":23690,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Research Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Veterinary Research Communications","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-024-10410-3","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/6/25 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Rickettsiales are obligate intracellular bacteria that need vertebrates and arthropods to maintain their life cycles. Some species of the genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia are transmitted by ticks to both animals and humans and can cause mild to severe and even fatal cases. In the Americas, there is substantial data on rickettsial agents, encompassing both clinical cases and the detection of these agents in ticks, but in Ecuador, the information about them remains poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to detect molecularly rickettsial agents in Amblyomma maculatum ticks in both parasitic and free-living phases collected from domestic animals and pasture in five localities across three coastal provinces of Ecuador. Rickettsia parkeri, Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae, and Ehrlichia sp. were recorded in A. maculatum for the first time in Ecuador. These records were made in a region where antibodies to the Spotted Fever Rickettsia Group were detected in humans. Additional studies are needed to characterize Ehrlichia sp. at a specific level. Furthermore, recognizing the specific Rickettsiales species circulating in the ticks and the hosts within a region is crucial for assessing potential contact risks.
期刊介绍:
Veterinary Research Communications publishes fully refereed research articles and topical reviews on all aspects of the veterinary sciences. Interdisciplinary articles are particularly encouraged, as are well argued reviews, even if they are somewhat controversial.
The journal is an appropriate medium in which to publish new methods, newly described diseases and new pathological findings, as these are applied to animals. The material should be of international rather than local interest. As it deliberately seeks a wide coverage, Veterinary Research Communications provides its readers with a means of keeping abreast of current developments in the entire field of veterinary science.