Maintenance of the infection by Rickettsia amblyommatis in Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto ticks and evaluation of ve
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Maintenance of the infection by Rickettsia amblyommatis in Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto ticks and evaluation of vector competence Hector R. Benatti1 · Lina C. Binder1 · Francisco B. Costa2 · Herbert S. Soares3 · Hermes R. Luz4 · Marcelo B. Labruna1 Received: 23 March 2020 / Accepted: 19 August 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
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. Keywords Rickettsia amblyommatis · Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto · Transovarial transmission · Transstadial passage · Vector competence
* Hector R. Benatti [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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Experimental and Applied Acarology
Introduction Rickettsia amblyommatis has been reported infecting various tick species, chiefly of the genus Amblyomma, throughout the western hemisphere from the USA to Argentina (Parola et al. 2013; Karpathy et al. 2016). Rates of infection by R. amblyommatis often exceed 20% of the specimens of natural populations in various tick species, including Amblyomma cajennense sensu stricto (s.s.) (Labruna et al. 2004, 2007; Soares et al. 2015; Karpathy et al. 2016). However, the successful maintenance of R. amblyommatis in a tick population by transovarial transmission and transstadial passage has been demonstrated only for Amblyomma americanum (Burgdorfer et al. 1981) and Amblyomma auricularium (Saraiva et al. 2013). In addition, the vector comp
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