Rickettsia species in ticks that parasitize amphibians and reptiles: Novel report from Mexico and review of the worldwide record

Publication date: Available online 17 April 2019Source: Ticks and Tick-borne DiseasesAuthor(s): Sokani Sánchez-Montes, Ana Belem Isaak-Delgado, Carmen Guzmán-Cornejo, Emilio Rendón-Franco, Claudia I. Muñoz-García, Sergio Bermúdez, Jorge Morales-Diaz, Anabel Cruz-Romero, Dora Romero-Salas, Karla Dzul-Rosado, César Lugo-Caballero, Pablo Colunga-Salas, Ingeborg BeckerAbstractTicks are obligate haematophagous ectoparasites that are associated with a wide range of vertebrate hosts, among them also reptiles and amphibians. They have dynamic ecological interactions with multiple microorganisms, ranging from endosymbionts to pathogens, such as the members of the genus Rickettsia. The aim of this work was to detect Rickettsia in ticks from amphibians and reptiles from southern Mexico by the amplification, sequencing and phylogenetic reconstruction of the gltA and ompA genes, and also to compile all the published records worldwide of Rickettsia associated with ticks attached to reptiles and amphibians, in order to elucidate the host-parasite relationships, and to identify the geographical distribution of each bacterial species.We record for the first time the presence of Rickettsia sp. strain Colombianensi and Rickettsia amblyommatis in ticks from several reptiles and amphibians collected in three new localities from the states of Guerrero and Veracruz, Mexico. Additionally, we here report 23 Rickettsia taxa associated with 18 tick species attached to 42 host taxa of amphibians ...
Source: Ticks and Tick borne Diseases - Category: Zoology Source Type: research