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Natural Infection, Transovarial Transmission, and Transstadial Survival of Rickettsia bellii in the Tick Ixodes loricatus (Acari: Ixodidae) from Brazil.

Authors :
HORTA, MAURICIO C.
PINTER, ADRIANO
SCHUMAKER, TERESINHA T. S.
LABRUNA, MARCELO B.
Source :
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2006, Vol. 1078 Issue 1, p285-290. 6p.
Publication Year :
2006

Abstract

An Ixodes loricatus engorged female, infected with Rickettsia bellii, was collected from an opossum ( Didelphis aurita) in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo State, Brazil. Two consecutive laboratory tick generations (F1 and F2) reared from this single engorged female were evaluated for Rickettsia infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting specific Rickettsia genes. Immature ticks fed on naïve Wistar rats ( Rattus norvegicus) and adult ticks fed on opossum ( D. aurita), both free of ticks and rickettsial infection. PCR performed on individual ticks from the F1 (20 larvae, 10 nymphs, and 10 adults) and the F2 (30 larvae, 30 nymphs, and 15 adults) yielded expected bands compatible with Rickettsia. All the PCR products that were sequenced, targeting gltA gene, resulted in sequences identical to each other and 99.7% (349/350) similar to the corresponding sequence of R. bellii in GenBank. The R. bellii infection on ticks from the second laboratory generation (F2) was confirmed by other PCR protocols and successful isolation of R. bellii in cell culture. We report for the first time a Rickettsia species infecting I. loricatus, and the first report of R. bellii in the tick genus Ixodes. We conclude that there was an efficient transovarial transmission and transstadial survival of this Rickettsia species in the tick I. loricatus. Our results suggest that R. bellii might be maintained in nature solely by transovarial transmission and transstadial survival in ticks (no amplifier vertebrate host is needed), since there has been no direct or indirect evidence of infection of vertebrate hosts by R. bellii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00778923
Volume :
1078
Issue :
1
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
22838478
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1374.053