Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) as amplifying hosts of Rickettsia rickettsii to Amblyomma sculptum ticks: Evaluation during primary and subsequent exposures to R. rickettsii infection

Ramírez-Hernández, Alejandro; Uchoa, Francisco; Serpa, Maria Carolina de Azevedo; Binder, Lina C.; Souza, Celso Eduardo de; Labruna, Marcelo Bahia

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101463

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is an emerging disease in South America, where the presence of capybaras plays an important role in the prevalence of this zoonosis. This species is an amplifying host of the etiological agent Rickettsia rickettsii 1,2 . In southeastern Brazil, the population of capybaras and the occurrence of BSF have increased substantially over the last 3 decades, 3 hence the need to establish population control programs for these animals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Surgical contraception of free‐ranging female capybaras: Description and comparison of open and minimally invasive techniques

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To develop, describe, and evaluate 2 surgical techniques for contraception of free‐ranging female capybaras. Study design Prospective study. Animals Cadaveric (n = 3) and free‐ranging female capybaras (n = 21). Methods Preliminary studies of surgical anatomy were performed on 3 capybara cadavers. Two different techniques for partial salpingectomy were evaluated in free‐ranging female capybaras: bilateral minilaparotomy (LTG; n = 11) or bilateral laparoscopy (LCG; n = 10). Data concerning body weight, tubal ligation time, total surgical time, incision size, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed, as well as the clinical status and incisional healing 1 week postoperatively. Results Body weight (P = .214), ligation time of the left uterine tube (P = .901), and total surgical time (P = .473) were similar between the experimental groups. The ligation time of the right uterine tube was shorter in the LCG group (P = .0463). In the LTG, no differences were observed between the sides regarding the incision size (P = .478). No major intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred in either group. One LCG procedure had to be converted to LTG due to technical issues. All skin incisions healed without complication. Conclusion Both procedures showed similar and satisfactory outcomes. Clinical significance The proposed techniques may be a suitable alternative to conventional laparotomy for contraception of female capybaras, especially under field conditions.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species is an amplifying host of the etiological agent Rickettsia rickettsii. 1,2 In southeastern Brazil, the population of capybaras and the occurrence of BSF have increased substantially over the last 3 decades, 3 hence the need to establish population control programs for these animals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surgical contraception of free‐ranging female capybaras: Description and comparison of open and minimally invasive techniques

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although we observed low infestations by A. sculptum in horses, probably due to good sanitary management to which the animals were submitted, we highlight the presence of A. sculptum because it is considered the main vector for R. rickettsia . Indeed, this tick species is found parasiting capybaras (Labruna et al, 2011 ; Szabó et al, 2013 ), the largest rodent extremely common in forest fragments in the CG that develop high rickettsia, and has anthropophilic habits (Souza et al, 2009 ; Polo et al, 2017 ; Ramírez-Hernández et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick-borne zoonotic agents infecting horses from an urban area in Midwestern Brazil: epidemiological and hematological features

Campos

Santos

Oliveira

et al. 2021

Trop Anim Health Prod

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emergence of tick-borne diseases has been reported as a serious problem in public health worldwide and many aspects of its epidemiology and effects on the health of its hosts are unclear. We aimed to perform an epidemiological study of tick-borne zoonotic Rickettsia , Borrelia , and Anaplasmataceae in horses from Midwestern Brazil. We also evaluated whether Borrelia spp. and Anaplasmataceae may be associated with hematological disorders in the sampled animals. Blood and serum samples as well as ticks were collected from 262 horses. Serum samples were used to perform serological tests, and hematological analyses were made using whole blood. Furthermore, DNA extracted from whole blood and ticks was used for molecular tests. Campo Grande is enzootic for tick-borne studied bacteria, since we found an overall exposure of 59.9% of the sampled horses, 28.7% of them presented co-exposure. Seropositivity rates of 20.6% for Borrelia spp., 25.6% for Rickettsia spp., and 31.6% for Anaplasmataceae were found in the sampled horses. Considering both molecular and serological tests for Borrelia spp., the infection rate was 48.0% (126/262). None of the tested horses showed molecular positivity for Anaplasma phagocytophilum . The horses sampled displayed 7.2% of parasitism by ixodid ticks in single and coinfestations. We did not find DNA of any studied bacteria in the sampled ticks. Positive horses for Borrelia spp. and Anaplasmataceae agents displayed leukopenia, monocytopenia, and lymphopenia. Together, our results suggest that horses may play a role as sentinel host for zoonotic bacteria and Borrelia spp. and Anaplasmataceae agents can impair the health of horses.

show abstract

“…In many BSF-endemic areas, populations of A. sculptum are sustained chiefly by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a large rodent that lives in social groups, often close to human households (Luz et al, 2019). Capybaras also act as amplifying hosts of R. rickettsii for A. sculptum; i.e., once primarily infected by R. rickettsii, capybaras develop bacteremia that lasts 1 to 2 weeks, when new cohorts of R. rickettsii-infected A. sculptum ticks are generated (Ramírez-Hernández et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term persistence of anti-Rickettsia rickettsii antibodies in capybaras, with passive transfer to offspring

Binder

Ramírez-Hernández

Serpa

et al. 2022

Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii is the etiological agent of Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), and its most important vector to humans in Brazil is the tick Amblyomma sculptum. Capybaras are the main hosts of A. sculptum in many BSF-endemic areas and are considered valuable sentinels for BSF surveillance. This study aimed to assess the persistence of anti-R. rickettsii antibodies for long periods in capybaras and their passive transfer to offspring. For this purpose, three adult capybaras previously exposed to multiple infections with R. rickettsii were followed up until 3.1 years after their last exposure. During the study, one female delivered five cubs, of which three survived. Blood samples were collected monthly from adults and infants, and serum samples were titrated by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to determine endpoint titers of anti-R. rickettsii antibodies. All three adults remained seroreactive to R. rickettsii with high endpoint titers until the end of the study. All infants were seroreactive to R. rickettsii after birth and remained seroreactive for one to four months. This study showed that exposure of capybaras to R. rickettsii-infected A. sculptum ticks elicits a persistent antibody response. In addition, there was evidence of passive transfer of R. rickettsii-reactive antibodies to offspring.

show abstract

Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) as amplifying hosts of Rickettsia rickettsii to Amblyomma sculptum ticks: Evaluation during primary and subsequent exposures to R. rickettsii infection

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

Surgical contraception of free‐ranging female capybaras: Description and comparison of open and minimally invasive techniques

Surgical contraception of free‐ranging female capybaras: Description and comparison of open and minimally invasive techniques

Tick-borne zoonotic agents infecting horses from an urban area in Midwestern Brazil: epidemiological and hematological features

Long-term persistence of anti-Rickettsia rickettsii antibodies in capybaras, with passive transfer to offspring

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About