Phenology of Amblyomma sculptum in a degraded area of Atlantic rainforest in north-eastern Brazil

Publication date: Available online 15 July 2019Source: Ticks and Tick-borne DiseasesAuthor(s): Filipe Dantas-Torres, Marcela Ferreira Melo, Kamila Gaudêncio da Silva Sales, Fernando José da Silva, Luciana Aguiar Figueredo, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstractAmblyomma sculptum is the principal vector of Rickettsia rickettsii, the main agent of spotted fever rickettsiosis in Brazil. Little information is available regarding the population dynamics of this tick in some regions, including north-eastern Brazil, where cases of tick-borne spotted fever are increasingly reported. Herein, we studied the phenology of A. sculptum in a rural area in north-eastern Brazil. Ticks were collected from the environment, using dry ice-baited traps, monthly for two consecutive years. In total, 1,500 ticks were collected: 94 females (6.3%), 74 males (4.9%), 468 nymphs (31.2%), and 864 larvae (57.6%). All nymphs and females were identified as A. sculptum. Males were tentatively identified as A. sculptum and larvae as Amblyomma spp. Ticks were more numerous during spring and summer, followed by autumn and winter. Peaks of larvae and nymphs were recorded during summer and spring, respectively, whereas adults were more frequently collected in spring. A total of 380 ticks were tested by PCR for the gltA gene of Rickettsia spp., but none of them were positive. While our results revealed a seasonal pattern for A. sculptum in north-eastern Brazil that is distinct from the seasonal pattern in south-eastern Bra...
Source: Ticks and Tick borne Diseases - Category: Zoology Source Type: research