Molecular detection of the human pathogenic Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest in Amblyomma dubitatum ticks from Argentina

MONJE LD; NAVA S; EBERHARDT AT; CORREA AI; GUGLIELMONE AA; BELDOMENICO PM

VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES

MARY ANN LIEBERT INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2015 vol. 15 p. 167 - 169

1530-3667

Background: To date, three tick-borne pathogenic Rickettsia species were reported in different regions of Argentina, namely, Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia massiliae. However, there are no reports available for the presence of tick-borne pathogens from northeastern Argentina. This study evaluated the infection with Rickettsia species in Amblyomma dubitatum ticks collected from the vegetation and feeding from capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in northeastern Argentina. Findings: From a total of 506 Amblyomma dubitatum ticks collected and evaluated by PCR for the presence of rickettsial DNA, 25 were positive for the presence of Rickettsia bellii DNA, two were positive for Rickettsia sp. strain COOPERI and one was positive for the pathogenic Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study is the first report of the presence of the human pathogen Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest and Rickettsia sp. strain COOPERI in Argentina. Moreover, our findings posit A. dubitatum as a potential novel vector for this pathogenic strain of Rickettsia.