Rickettsial infection in equids, opossums and ticks in the municipality of Monte Mor, state of São Paulo, Brazil

Ueno, Tatiana Evelyn Hayama; Cutolo, André Antonio; Martins, Thiago Fernandes; Moraes-Filho, Jonas; Azevedo, Sérgio Santos de; Labruna, Marcelo Bahia

doi:10.1590/S1984-29612020073

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Original Article • Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet. 29 (4) • 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-29612020073 copy

Rickettsial infection in equids, opossums and ticks in the municipality of Monte Mor, state of São Paulo, Brazil

Infecção por Rickettsia spp. em equídeos, gambás e carrapatos do município de Monte Mor, estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate rickettsial infection in equids, opossums and ticks in the municipality of Monte Mor, a place where a Brazilian spotted fever case occurred in 2005. In addition, characteristics possibly associated with seropositivity in horses were analyzed. Serum samples from horses, mules and opossums (Didelphis albiventris) were subjected to indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) against Rickettsia rickettsii. The ticks collected from the animals were identified and Amblyomma sculptum ticks from the equids were tested using PCR for Rickettsia spp. Anti-R. rickettsii antibodies were detected in 22.6% (14/62) of the horses, none of the mules and 21.7% (5/23) of the opossums. Among the variables analyzed, only age > 12 years showed a statistically significant association with seropositivity among horses. All of the 166 A. sculptum ticks tested using PCR were negative. The results showed that rickettsiae of the spotted fever group was circulating in the municipality of Monte Mor when the samples were collected and indicate a need for surveillance of Brazilian spotted fever in this region.

Keywords:
Rickettsiales; spotted fever; equine; Didelphis; São Paulo

Animal	Titers no. of positive samples according to the titer/total no. of positive samples						Total (no. of positive samples/no. of samples tested)
	64	128	256	512	1024	2048
Horses	2/14 (14.3%)	2/14 (14.3%)	4/14 (28.6%)	3/14 (21.4%)	2/14 (14.3%)	1/14 (7.1%)	14/62 (22.6%)
Mules	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/3
Opossums (D. albiventris)	1/5 (20%)	1/5 (20%)	3/5 (60%)				5/23 (21.7%)

Variables	Categories	Total no. of horses	No. of seropositive horses (%)	Prevalence ratio (95% CI) ^a a Confidence interval of 95% for prevalence ratio;	p-value ^b b Probability that null hypothesis is true.
Age	Up to 12 years	47	7 (14.9)	Reference
	> 12 years	15	7 (46.7)	3.13 (1.31-7.49)	0.010

Length of possession by the current owner	Up to 5 years	48	11 (22.9)	Reference
	> 5 years	9	2 (22.2)	1.03 (0.27-3.89	0.349

Sex	Female	30	6 (20)	Reference
	Male	32	8 (25)	1.25 (0.49-3.18)	0.639

Neighborhood	Panorama	11	1 (9.1)	Reference	0.760
	Moreira	5	1 (20)	2.20 (0.17-28.53)
	Nova Alvorada	10	2 (20)	2.20 (0.23-20.72)
	Paviotti	20	6 (30)	3.30 (0.45-24.02)
	São Rafael	9	3 (33.3)	3.67 (0.46-29.49)
	Others^* * The neighborhoods Engenho, Fahrid Calil, Centro, Clube de Campo and Colina were put together in the “others” group because of the very small number of horses in each of them;	7	1 (14.3)	1.57 (0.12-21.26)

Use	Foal not yet used	7	0 (0)	Reference	0.164
	Cart⁺ + The cart category corresponds to the horses that pulled carts used mainly to collect recyclable material;	18	5 (27.8)	4.63 (0.29-74.27)
	Leisure^# # The leisure category corresponds to the horses used to riding, to draw leisure carts or as pets;	37	9 (24.3)	4.00 (0.26-61.93)

Host	Tick stage	Ticks identified
		Amblyomma sculptum	Amblyomma dubitatum	Amblyomma spp.	Rhipicephalus microplus	Dermacentor nitens
Horses	Adults	163			7	185
	Nymphs	1				65
	Larvae					4
	Total	164/425 (38.6%)			7/425 (1.6%)	254/425 (59.8%)

Mules	Adults	2
	Total	2/2 (100%)

Opossums (D. albiventris)	Nymphs	21	18
	Larvae			8
	Total	21/47 (44.7%)	18/47 (38.3%)	8/47 (17.0%)

Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária FCAV/UNESP - Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Via de acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, Zona Rural, , 14884-900 Jaboticabal - SP, Brasil, Fone: (16) 3209-7100 RAMAL 7934 - Jaboticabal - SP - Brazil
E-mail: cbpv_rbpv.fcav@unesp.br

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[1] *Corresponding author: Tatiana Evelyn Hayama Ueno. E-mail: tatianaueno@apta.sp.gov.br