Rickettsial infection in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris from São Paulo, Brazil: serological evidence for infection by Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia parkeri
Keywords:
Rickettsia, rickettsia infections/diagnosis, rodentia, serology, zoonoses, Brazil
Abstract
Introduction. In Brazil, capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are important hosts for Amblyomma ticks, which in turn can transmit rickettsiae to humans and animals. Therefore, capybaras are potential sentinels for rickettsial infection.Objective. The present study evaluated rickettsial infection in capybaras in different areas of the state of São Paulo, where rickettsiosis has never been reported.
Materials and methods. Blood sera from 73 capybaras from six localities in São Paulo were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay using Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, and Rickettsia bellii antigens. Capybara spleens were tested by PCR, targeting a fragment of the rickettsial gltA gene. Ticks were collected from each capybara sample and taxonomically identified to species.
Results. A total of 94 positively reacting capybara samples, 19 (26.0%), 25 (34.2%), and 50 (68.5%) capybara sera reacted to R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, and R. bellii, respectively. Twenty-five capybara sera showed titers to R. bellii at least four-fold higher than to any of the other two antigens. These sera were considered homologous to R. bellii. Using the same criteria, 3 capybara sera were considered homologous to R. parkeri. No sera were be considered homologous to R. rickettsii. No rickettsial DNA was detected in capybara spleen samples. Ticks collected on capybaras were Amblyomma dubitatum and Amblyomma cajennense.
Conclusions. The first evidence is reported of R. bellii natural infection in vertebrate hosts, and the first evidence of R. parkeri infection in capybaras. While R. parkeri is known to infect and cause disease in humans, no similar evidence for human infection has been indicated by R. bellii.
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References
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13. Labruna MB, Horta MC, Aguiar DM, Calvacante GT, Pinter A, Gennari SM et al. Prevalence of Rickettsia infection in dogs from the urban and rural areas of Monte Negro municipality, Western Amazon, Brazil. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2007;7:249-55.
14. La Scola B, Raoult D. Laboratory diagnosis of rickettsioses: current approaches to diagnosis of old and new rickettsial diseases. J Clin Microbiol. 1997;35:2715-27.
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15. Vieira AM, Souza CE, Labruna MB, Mayo RC, Souza SS, Camargo-Neves VL. Manual de Vigilância Acarológica, Estado de São Paulo. São Paulo: Secretaria de Estado da Saúde; 2004.
16. Guedes E, Leite RC, Prata MC, Pacheco RC, Walker DH, Labruna MB. Detection of Rickettsia rickettsii in the tick Amblyomma cajennense in a new Brazilian spotted fever-endemic area in the state of Minas Gerais. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2005;100:841-5.
17. Barros-Battesti DM, Arzua M, Bechara GH. Carrapatos de importância medico-veterinária da região Neotropical. Um guia ilustrado para identificação de espécies. São Paulo: Vox/ICTTD-3/Butantan; 2006.
18. Sangioni LA, Horta MC, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Soares RS, Galvão MA et al. Rickettsial infection in animals and Brazilian spotted fever endemicity. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:265-70.
19. Labruna MB, Pinter A, Teixeira RH. Life cycle of Amblyomma cooperi (Acari: Ixodidae) using capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) as hosts. Exp Appl Acarol. 2004;32:79-88.
20. Burgdorfer W. Ecological and epidemiological considerations of Rock Mountain spotted fever and scrub typhus. EN: DH Walker, editor. Biology of rickettsial diseases. Vol.1. Boca Raton: CRC Inc; 1988.
2. Roux V, Rydkina E, Eremeeva M, Raoult D. Citrate synthase gene comparison, a new tool for phylogenetic analysis and its application for the Rickettsiae. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 1997;47:252-61.
3. Monteiro JL. Estudos sobre o typho exantemático de S. Paulo. Mem Inst Butantan. 1931;6:1-136.
4. Angerami RN, Resende MR, Feltrin AF, Katz G, Nascimento EM, Stucchi RS et al. Brazilian spotted fever: a case series from an endemic area in southeastern Brazil: clinical aspects. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006;1078:252-4.
5. Paddock CD, Sumner JW, Comer JA, Zaki SR. Rickettsia parkeri: A newly recognized cause of spotted fever rickettsiosis in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;38:15-21.
6. Venzal JM, Portillo A, Estrada-Peña A, Castro O, Cabrera PA, Oteo JA. Rickettsia parkeri in Amblyomma triste from Uruguay. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:1493-5.
7. Labruna MB, Whitworth T, Horta MC, Bouyer DH, McBride J, Pinter A et al. Rickettsia species infecting Amblyomma cooperi ticks from an area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, where Brazilian spotted fever is endemic. J Clin Microbiol. 2004;42:90-8.
8. Silveira I, Pacheco RC, Szabo MP, Ramos HG, Labruna MB. Rickettsia parkeri in Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13:1111-3.
9. Horta MC, Labruna MB, Sangioni LA, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Galvão MA et al. Prevalence of antibodies to Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in humans and domestic animals in a Brazilian Spotted Fever-Endemic area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil: Serologic evidence for infection by Rickettsia rickettsii and another spotted fever group Rickettsia. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004;71:93-7.
10. Labruna MB, Whitworth T, Bouyer DH, McBride J, Camargo LM, Camargo EP et al. Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia amblyommii in Amblyomma ticks from the state of Rondônia, Western Amazon, Brazil. J Med Entomol. 2004;41:1073-81.
11. Labruna MB, Camargo LM, Camargo EP, Walker DH. Detection of a spotted fever group Rickettsia in the tick Haemaphysalis juxtakochi in Rondonia, Brazil. Vet Parasitol. 2005;127:169-74.
12. Labruna MB, Pacheco RC, Richtzenhain LJ, Szabo MP. Isolation of Rickettsia rhipicephali and Rickettsia bellii from ticks Haemaphysalis juxtakochi in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007;73:869-73.
13. Labruna MB, Horta MC, Aguiar DM, Calvacante GT, Pinter A, Gennari SM et al. Prevalence of Rickettsia infection in dogs from the urban and rural areas of Monte Negro municipality, Western Amazon, Brazil. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2007;7:249-55.
14. La Scola B, Raoult D. Laboratory diagnosis of rickettsioses: current approaches to diagnosis of old and new rickettsial diseases. J Clin Microbiol. 1997;35:2715-27.
14. Parola P, Paddock CD, Raoult D. Tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: emerging diseases challenging old concepts. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2005;18:719-56.
15. Vieira AM, Souza CE, Labruna MB, Mayo RC, Souza SS, Camargo-Neves VL. Manual de Vigilância Acarológica, Estado de São Paulo. São Paulo: Secretaria de Estado da Saúde; 2004.
16. Guedes E, Leite RC, Prata MC, Pacheco RC, Walker DH, Labruna MB. Detection of Rickettsia rickettsii in the tick Amblyomma cajennense in a new Brazilian spotted fever-endemic area in the state of Minas Gerais. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2005;100:841-5.
17. Barros-Battesti DM, Arzua M, Bechara GH. Carrapatos de importância medico-veterinária da região Neotropical. Um guia ilustrado para identificação de espécies. São Paulo: Vox/ICTTD-3/Butantan; 2006.
18. Sangioni LA, Horta MC, Vianna MC, Gennari SM, Soares RS, Galvão MA et al. Rickettsial infection in animals and Brazilian spotted fever endemicity. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:265-70.
19. Labruna MB, Pinter A, Teixeira RH. Life cycle of Amblyomma cooperi (Acari: Ixodidae) using capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) as hosts. Exp Appl Acarol. 2004;32:79-88.
20. Burgdorfer W. Ecological and epidemiological considerations of Rock Mountain spotted fever and scrub typhus. EN: DH Walker, editor. Biology of rickettsial diseases. Vol.1. Boca Raton: CRC Inc; 1988.
How to Cite
1.
Pacheco RC, Horta MC, Moraes-Filho J, Ataliba AC, Pinter A, Labruna MB. Rickettsial infection in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris from São Paulo, Brazil: serological evidence for infection by Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia parkeri. biomedica [Internet]. 2007 Sep. 1 [cited 2024 May 10];27(3):364-71. Available from: https://revistabiomedica.org/index.php/biomedica/article/view/199
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