title: Molecular detection of Rickettsia rhipicephali and other spotted fever group Rickettsia species in Amblyomma ticks infesting wild birds in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: The current study evaluated parasitism of wild birds by ticks in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and examined the ticks for rickettsial agents. Birds were captured during 2014 and 2015 and ticks were identified by sequencing fragments of the 16S and 12S ribosomal DNA. Among 260 birds representing 19 families and 52 species, a total of 69 (26.5%) were found to be infested by larvae (LL) and/or nymphs (NN) of Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844) (45 LL, 4 NN), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann, 1899 (9 LL, 15 NN), Amblyomma nodosum Neumann, 1899 (2 NN), Amblyomma parkeri Fonseca and Aragão, 1952 (21 LL), Amblyomma sp. haplotype Nazaré (77 LL), and Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard, 1869) (17 LL, 1 NN). The use of PCR and sequencing of the rickettsial genes gltA, htrA, ompA and ompB, revealed the presence of "Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii" in A. longirostre (13/49; 26%) and Rickettsia parkeri (strain ApPR) in both A. parkeri (1/21; 5%) and haplotype Nazaré (42/77; 55%) ticks. In addition, we detected Rickettsia rhipicephali in 31 (40%) of the 77 haplotype Nazaré ticks. This is the first record of this rickettsial agent in a species of the genus Amblyomma. The pathogenic potential of this bacterium is undetermined, but the unprecedented association with Amblyomma ticks may represent a cause for concern for public and/or animal health.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Electronic address: vivianezr@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zeringóta
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Electronic address: ralphmaturano@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maturano
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Electronic address: hermesluz@globomail.com.
authors.forename: Hermes Ribeiro
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Electronic address: senra.tatiane@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tatiane Oliveira Souza
authors.initials: TOS
authors.lastname: Senra
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Biológicas - Comportamento e Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Electronic address: erik.daemon@ufjf.edu.br.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daemon
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Electronic address: jlhfaccini@globo.com.
authors.forename: João Luiz Horacio
authors.initials: JLH
authors.lastname: Faccini
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Electronic address: pus972@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McIntosh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D001717:Birds; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Amblyomma sp. haplotype Nazaré; Atlantic forest; Ixodidae; Passeriformes; Rickettsiosis