RESUMO Este artigo consiste de uma lista comentada das espécies de carrapatos coletadas em diversas espécies de animais selvagens e domésticos incluindo aquelas espécies já reportadas na região. Os animais capturados são em sua maioria mamíferos de pequeno e médio porte. Os carnívoros foi o grupo com maior número de observações. Entretanto, o veado campeiro ( Ozotocerus bezoarticus) e o tamanduá bandeira ( Mymercophaga tridactyla) também tiveram um número significativamente de amostras. Dentre os animais domésticos, cães, equinos e bovinos foram examinados. No total foram listadas 18 espécies de carrapatos para a região. Dezesseis delas são carrapatos duros (Ixodidae) e duas, carrapatos moles (Argasidae). Dentre os Ixodidae, Amblyomma sculptum foi a espécie mais encontrada, sendo considerada a mais abundante na região. Ornithodoros rostratus (Argasidae) mostrou-se frequente e abundante, sendo o principal representante da família. Somando as coletas com os resultados de literatura, as seguintes espécies foram catalogadas para a região: Argas miniatus Koch, 1844; Ornithodoros rostratus Aragão, 1911; Dermacentor nitens Newmann, 1897; Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus Canestrini, 1887; A. tigrinum Koch, 1844; A. dissimile Koch, 1844; A. ovale Koch, 1844; A. parvum Aragão, 1908; A. sculptum Berlese, 1888; A. calcaratum Neumann, 1899; A. coelebs Neumann, 1899; A. dubittatum Newmann, 1899; A. scalpturatum Newmann, 1906; A. naponense Packard, 1869; A. nodosum Newmann, 1899; A. pseudoconcolor Aragão, 1908; A. rotundatum Koch, 1844; A. triste Koch, 1844.

ABSTRACT This is a commented list of tick’s species collected on various wild and domestic animals, including the reports on scientific literature for the studied region. Most of animals were small or medium mammals. Carnivores were the main taxa group examined. Although, the pampas deer ( Ozotocerus bezoarticus) and giant anteater ( Mymercophaga tridactyla) also has a good representation on study. Among domestic animals, dogs, horses and cattle were examined. Summing up, 18 tick species were listed for the region. Sixteen were hard ticks (Ixodidae) and two soft ticks (Argasidae). Amblyomma sculptum was the most common and abundant hard tick. Ornithodoros rostratus (Argasidae) was very abundant, being the more important Argasidae tick on the study region. The following species were colleted or reported on scientific literature: Argas miniatus Koch, 1844; Ornithodoros rostratus Aragão, 1911; Dermacentor nitens Newmann, 1897; Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus) microplus Canestrini, 1887; Amblyomma tigrinum Koch, 1844; A. dissimile Koch, 1844; A. ovale Koch, 1844; A. pauvum Aragão, 1908; A. sculptum Berlese, 1888; A. calcaratum Neumann, 1899; A. coelebs Neumann, 1899; A. dubittatum Newmann, 1899; A. scalpturatum Newmann, 1906; A. naponense Packard, 1869; A. nodosum Newmann, 1899; A. pseudoconcolor Aragão, 1908; A. rotundatum Koch, 1844; A. triste Koch, 1844.

Few studies have examined antiretroviral therapy adherence in Latin American children. Standardized behavioral measures were applied to a large cohort of human immunodeficiency virus-infected children in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru to assess adherence to prescribed antiretroviral therapy doses during the three days prior to study visits, assess timing of last missed dose, and evaluate the ability of the adherence measures to predict viral suppression. Time trends in adherence were modeled using a generalized estimating equations approach to account for possible correlations in outcomes measured repeatedly in the same participants. Associations of adherence with human immunodeficiency virus viral load were examined using linear regression. Mean enrollment age of the 380 participants was 5 years; 57.6% had undetectable' viral load (<400 copies/mL). At enrollment, 90.8% of participants were perfectly (100%) adherent, compared to 87.6% at the 6-month and 92.0% at the 12-month visit; the proportion with perfect adherence did not differ over time (p= 0.1). Perfect adherence was associated with a higher probability of undetectable viral load at the 12-month visit (odds ratio = 4.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.8-9.1; p< 0.001), but not at enrollment or the 6-month visit (p> 0.3). Last time missed any antiretroviral therapy dose was reported as "never" for 52.0% at enrollment, increasing to 60.7% and 65.9% at the 6- and 12-month visits, respectively (p< 0.001 for test of trend). The proportion with undetectable viral load was higher among those who never missed a dose at enrollment and the 12-month visit (p≤ 0.005), but not at the 6-month visit (p= 0.2). While antiretroviral therapy adherence measures utilized in this study showed some association with viral load for these Latin American children, they may not be adequate for reliably identifying non-adherence and consequently children at risk for viral resistance. Other strategies are needed to improve the evaluation of adherence in this population.

Adult ticks of the species Amblyomma parvum were collected from the vegetation in the Pantanal biome (state of Mato Grosso do Sul) and from horses in the Cerrado biome (state of Piauí) in Brazil. The ticks were individually tested for rickettsial infection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting three rickettsial genes, gltA, ompA and ompB. Overall, 63.5% (40/63) and 66.7% (2/3) of A. parvum ticks from Pantanal and Cerrado, respectively, contained rickettsial DNA, which were all confirmed by DNA sequencing to be 100% identical to the corresponding fragments of the gltA, ompA and ompB genes of Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae. This report is the first to describe Ca. R. andeanae in Brazil.

Os aspectos biológicos de ninfas de primeiro e segundo instares de Argas (Persicargas) miniatus quando submetidas a diferentes períodos de jejum (15, 30 e 60 dias), foram estudados em estufa climatizada (27 ± 1 ºC e 80 ± 10% de umidade relativa) e em ambiente de laboratório. Ninfas de primeiro instar que foram submetidas a um período de jejum de 15 e 30 dias mudaram para ninfas de segundo e terceiro instar, em ambas as condições estudadas. No período de 60 dias de jejum verificou-se mortalidade de 28 e 37% das ninfas de primeiro instar, em estufa climatizada e em ambiente de laboratório, respectivamente. As ninfas sobreviventes não se fixaram sobre os hospedeiros. As ninfas de segundo instar, após 60 dias de jejum, desenvolveram-se em ninfas de terceiro instar ou machos, quando alimentadas em Gallus gallus. Ainda neste grupo, as ninfas de terceiro instar mudaram para adultos (42,42 e 40,54% machos; 36,36 e 48,65% fêmeas, nas condições ambiente de laboratório e estufa climatizada, respectivamente) e o restante desenvolveu-se em ninfas de quarto instar que por sua vez mudaram para fêmeas. Então, a situação de jejum (60 dias) em que as ninfas foram submetidas determinou o número de ninfas no ciclo biológico de A. miniatus, sob as condições experimentais estudadas.

The current study investigated the biology of nymphs of the first and second instars of Argas (Persicargas) miniatus. Nymphs were deprived of food for 15, 30 or 60 days and held at 27 ± 1 ºC and 80 ± 10% relative humidity (controlled conditions) or at room conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Nymphs of first instar deprived of food for 15 or 30 days molted to second and third instars in both controlled and room conditions. Nymphs of the first instar deprived of food for 60 days had 28 and 37% mortality in controlled and room conditions, respectively; and survivors did not attach to the host. Nymphs of the second instar, deprived of food for 60 days, molted either to the third instar or to males after feeding on Gallus gallus, and the nymphs of the third instar developed to adults (42.42% males and 36.36% females when nymphs were held in controlled temperature and humidity conditions, and 40.54% males and 48.65% females when nymphs were held in room conditions). The remainder of the nymphs molted to the fourth instar and then molted to females. In conclusion, the nymphal starvation period of 60 days determined the number of nymph instars in the life cycle of A. miniatus under the experimental conditions studied.