Natural infection of free-ranging capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) with Anaplasmataecea and Rickettsiaceae bacteria in the Iber á wetlands ecoregion, Argentina

AbstractThe current work assessed the infection withEhrlichia andAnaplasma species, and exposure toRickettsia spp. in free-ranging capybaras in the Iber á wetlands ecoregion in Argentina. By indirect immunofluorescence assay, 37 out of 51 (73%) capybara sera were seropositive toRickettsia spp., with 23.5% and 4% samples considered homologous toRickettsia parkeri andRickettsia bellii, respectively (or very closely related serotypes). Anaplasmataceae DNA was found to be highly prevalent in capybaras, with 33 out of 62 samples positive forAnaplasma sp. withCt values of 28.64  ± 0.35 (average ± standard error), and 12 samples positive forEhrlichia sp. withCt values of 31.74  ± 0.87.Anaplasma sp. from capybaras was closely related toAnaplasma sp. reported to infectAmblyomma dubitatum in Iber á wetlands and toAnaplasma odocoilei, while the detectedEhrlichia sp. was closely related to “Candidatus Ehrlichia hydrochoerus ” previously reported to infect capybaras in Brazil andA.dubitatum in Iber á wetlands. Structures compatible withAnaplasma morulae were observed in the cytoplasm of platelets fromAnaplasma-positive capybaras. Our findings show that capybaras from the Iber á wetlands were exposed toRickettsia species related toR. bellii and to the pathogenR. parkeri, and were infected with “Ca. Ehrlichia hydrochoerus ” and a novelAnaplasma species, herein named “Candidatus Anaplasma capybara ”.
Source: Veterinary Research Communications - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research