Human toxicosis caused by the tick Ornithodoros spheniscus in a Chilean national park

Llanos-Soto, Sebastián; Muñoz-Léal, Sebastián; Gatica, José Luis; Misad, Carlos; González‐Acuña, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101811

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…The ingestion of blood is rapidly (for less than an hour) in nymphs and adults, but the feeding of the larvae can last 2-4 days (47,48). Consequently, Ornithodoros may go unnoticed when biting, in particular in human dwellings, and are therefore reported less frequently than hard ticks (46,49). These characteristics are consistent with the anamnesis of case 1, since the affected person did not observe the ticks while they were feeding.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Although dermatoses caused by tick saliva is related with the inflammatory response of the host or with the sensitivity of each person, there are other factors that can exacerbate the reaction, as the number, stage, and the tick species, as well the time of exposure to the bites, and/or constant and repetitive ticks bites (45,46). Furthermore, the biological differences between Argasidae and Ixodidae lead to different reactions in parasitized people.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bites showed the characteristic formation of blisters keeps the blood of the hosts flowing. Although these lesions can be considered "benign", some cases associated with certain species of Ornithodoros can be extremely painful and produce severe effects, causing strong allergic reactions, and even anaphylactic shocks (24,43,46,(50)(51)(52). Moreover, some Ornithodoros species (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Description of human infestations by ticks in Panama and Costa Rica

Bermúdez

Greco-Mastelari

Zaldívar

et al. 2021

MIC

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Tick bites in humans are associated with the transmission of pathogens, anaphylactic shock, paralysis, and secondary infections. In this work we described six cases of tick bites in patients from Panama and Costa Rica. These bites were provoked for adults of Ornithodoros puertoricensis, Amblyomma cf. oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma ovale, and Ixodes cf. boliviensis, and a nymph of Amblyomma mixtum. The relationships of these species of ticks with the environment are explained. Among the reactions observed in the patients there are blisters, maculo-papular rash, granuloma, lymphadenopathy, and erythema migrans-like rash, but none referred symptoms compatible with an infectious disease. In the collected ticks a PCR battery was developed to rule out Borrelia, Rickettsia, Anaplasmataceae, and Coxiella diseases to the ticks from the cases 1, 2, 3 and 4, with negative results. Although no pathogen infections were evidenced, these finding indicate that the tick bites constitute a public health problem what goes unnoticed in many countries.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Description of human infestations by ticks in Panama and Costa Rica

Bermúdez

Greco-Mastelari

Zaldívar

et al. 2021

MIC

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“…Although humans are not preferential hosts for ticks, some species are anthropophilic whereas other species are found on humans only sporadically ( Estrada-Peña & Jongejan, 1999 ; Guglielmone & Robbins, 2018 ). Indeed, of the c. 960 tick species reported throughout the world ( c. 742 species of the Ixodidae, c. 220 species of the Argasidae, one species of the Nuttalliellidae), nearly 280 species of the Ixodidae and 35 species of the Argasidae have been reported as parasites of humans ( Llanos-Soto et al., 2020 ; Muñoz-Leal et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ticks infesting humans in Central America: A review of their relevance in public health

Bermúdez

Troyo

et al. 2022

Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases

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“…The saliva of Ornithodoros ticks can cause toxicosis (hypersensitivity and immunological response ranging from mild dermal lesions to systemic disease) ( 2 ) and transmit pathogenic agents, such as tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) group borreliae, to humans and domestic animals ( 3 ). Particularly in South America, Ornithodoros brasiliensis, Ornithodoros fonsecai, Ornithodoros mimon, Ornithodoros rietcorreai, Ornithodoros rioplatensis, Ornithodoros rostratus , and Ornithodoros spheniscus cause toxicosis ( 4 – 10 ). Moreover, human cases of TBRF were described during the first decade of the 20th century mainly in Colombia and Venezuela, and Ornithodoros rudis was involved as the vector ( 11 – 13 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ornithodoros puertoricensis (Ixodida: Argasidae) Associated With Domestic Fowl in Rural Dwellings From Córdoba Department, Caribbean Colombia

et al. 2021

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Ticks of genus Ornithodoros are nidicolous parasites associated with a wide array of vertebrates. In humans, their bites cause hypersensitivity reactions and are capable to transmit pathogens of health concern. In the department of Córdoba, Caribbean region of Colombia, the first report of an Ornithodoros soft tick was made in 1980 by Betancourt, who described the collection of Ornithodoros talaje in human dwellings. Nevertheless, current the records of O. talaje made in South America have been questioned and likely correspond to misidentifications with morphologically similar species. Between October and December of 2020, we visited rural areas of four localities from three municipalities within the department of Córdoba: Cuero Curtido and Severá (municipality of Cereté), El Espanto (municipality of Planeta Rica), and Arroyo Negro (municipality of San Carlos). Search for soft ticks was performed in 46 human domiciles and peridomiciliary areas. We searched in areas frequented by domestic animals, inspecting cracks in the walls and fowl nests. Infestation by soft ticks was found in 13% (6/46) of visited houses. Overall, 215 ticks were collected (26 larvae, 144 nymphs and 45 adults) from nests of domestic birds or in the adjacent walls. Larvae, nymphs and adults were morphologically identified as Ornithodoros puertoricensis. Molecular identification of ticks was confirmed by sequencing the tick mitochondrial 16S gene of adults, pools of nymphs and larvae. Pairwise comparisons showed a 99% of identity with O. puertoricensis from Panama. This study reports for the first time O. puertoricensis associated with domestic fowl in rural dwellings in Colombia, and expands the geographical distribution of this tick species toward the Córdoba department. Importantly, local people described exposure to tick bites while sleeping in infested houses; therefore, the transmission of soft tick-borne pathogens is now of concern in the region.

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Human toxicosis caused by the tick Ornithodoros spheniscus in a Chilean national park

Cited by 4 publications

References 6 publications

Description of human infestations by ticks in Panama and Costa Rica

Description of human infestations by ticks in Panama and Costa Rica

Ticks infesting humans in Central America: A review of their relevance in public health

Ornithodoros puertoricensis (Ixodida: Argasidae) Associated With Domestic Fowl in Rural Dwellings From Córdoba Department, Caribbean Colombia

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