A preliminary investigation of Ehrlichia species in ticks, humans, dogs, and capybaras from Brazil.
A molecular epidemiologic investigation in two Brazilian states (Rondônia and São Paulo) was undertaken to determine if Ehrlichia species responsible for human and animal ehrlichioses in North America could be found in Brazilian vectors, potential natural mammalian reservoirs and febrile human patients with a tick bite history. Samples, including 376 ticks comprising 9 Amblyomma species, 29 capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) spleens, 5 canine blood, and 75 human blood samples from febrile patients with history of tick bites were tested by a real-time PCR assay targeting a fragment of the Ehrlichia dsb gene. Ehrlichia DNA was not detected in any tick, capybara or human samples. In contrast, 4 out of 5 dogs contained Ehrlichia canis DNA in their blood, which were sequenced, representing the first report of E. canis infecting dogs in the Amazon region of Brazil. Further studies are needed to evaluate the presence of other agents of human and animal ehrlichioses in Brazil.
Labruna
Marcelo B
MB
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 7755-0609, USA. labruna@usp.br
McBride
Jere W
JW
Camargo
Luis Marcelo A
LM
Aguiar
Daniel M
DM
Yabsley
Michael J
MJ
Davidson
William R
WR
Stromdahl
Ellen Y
EY
Williamson
Phillip C
PC
Stich
Roger W
RW
Long
S Wesley
SW
Camargo
Erney P
EP
Walker
David H
DH
D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D001733:Bites and Stings; D001938:Brazil; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D004285:Dogs; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D041061:Ehrlichia canis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D012377:Rodentia; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013045:Species Specificity; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*; D015047:Zoonoses
D004269:DNA, Bacterial