Detection of <I>Rickettsia rickettsii</I> and <I>Bartonella henselae</I> in <I>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</I> Ticks from California

Abstract

Sixty-two questing adult Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) ticks were collected by direct removal from blades of turfgrass and adjacent concrete walkways at a suburban home in Riverside County, CA, and tested for the presence of Rickettsia, Bartonella, and Ehrlichia DNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify fragments of the 17-kDa antigen gene and the rOmpA gene of the spotted fever group rickettsiae. One male tick contained R. rickettsii DNA; its genotype differed from R. rickettsii isolates found in Montana and Arizona that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever and from Hlp#2 and 364D serotypes. One male tick and one female tick contained B. henselae DNA. No Ehrlichia platys or Ehrlichia canis DNAs were detected using nested PCR for their 16S rRNA genes. These findings extend the area where Rickettsia rickettsii may be vectored by Rh. sanguineus. Rh. sanguineus also may be infected with Bartonella henselae, a human pathogen that is typically associated with fleas and causes cat scratch disease.

First identification of natural infection of Rickettsia rickettsii in the Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick, in the State of Rio de Janeiro

“…Also, in California, where the role of R. sanguineus is unclear as a potential vector of this disease, R. rickettsii was detected in this tick, but some differences in genotypes were shown between the strains isolated from Arizona, demonstrating a significant genetic diversity in this species of the spotted fever group rickettsiae SFGR (Wikswo et al 2007). …”

“…Nowadays, other species have been reported as A. triste (Venzal et al 2008) in Uruguay and Rhipicephalus sanguineus in the USA (Demma et al 2005, Wikswo et al 2007.…”

A Focus of Dogs and Rickettsia massiliae–Infected Rhipicephalus sanguineus in California

“…sanguineus collected from dogs in the current study (19-80% prevalence in different collections), in questing Arizona ticks from one household used for isolation of R. massiliae AZT80 (25% of 20), 5,40 and in ticks from dogs in Buenos Aires (21.5% of 107). 18 Because infection with this agent was not detected in any of 62 42 and 164 (Eremeeva ME, unpublished data) Rh. sanguineus from two other sites in California, it appears that high prevalence rates of R. massiliae infections in ticks may arise either from clonal expansion from a single infected female tick or by efficient co-feeding transmission of this agent between ticks in a restricted focus.…”

Assessment of weight gain and biological parameters of Rhipicephalus sanguineus females fed artificially via capillary tubes

“…(DEMMA et al, 2005;WIKSWO et al, 2007;PIRANDA et al, 2008;CUNHA et al, 2009). In addition, research has studied its involvement, under laboratory conditions, in the epidemiology of canine visceral leishmaniasis (COUTINHO et al, 2005).…”