Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of wild birds in Arauca, Orinoquia region of Colombia

Abstract

Birds are important hosts for the development of the immature stages of several tick species that are vectors for disease-causing microorganisms in animals and humans. Colombia has the highest number of bird species worldwide; however, there is scarce data on the role of birds in the circulation of ticks and their associated pathogens, such as rickettsiae. The department of Arauca has a high diversity of resident and migratory (boreal and austral) birds and ticks associated with the transmission of Rickettsia . The objective of this research was to identify tick species parasitizing birds and to detect Rickettsia species in these ectoparasites. We conducted samplings in the municipalities of Arauca, Cravo Norte, and Tame between November of 2018 and August of 2019. Birds were captured using mist nets and examined for the presence of tick species. The collected ticks were morphologically and molecularly identified. Furthermore, we detected rickettsiae in ticks by amplifying fragments of the citrate synthase ( gltA ) and outer membrane protein ( ompB) genes. We captured 606 birds belonging to 25 families and 115 species. Tick infestation rate was 3.3% (20/606) in the birds captured and eight new associations between wild birds and ticks are reported for the American continent. We identified four tick species: Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma longirostre , Amblyomma mixtum , and Amblyomma sp.. Moreover, we confirmed the presence of Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest in A. nodosum , a medically-relevant rickettsia due to cases of rickettsiosis in the American continent. This finding manifests the importance of wild birds as hosts and dispersal agents of ticks infected with pathogenic rickettsiae, as well as the need to monitor migratory birds in the Orinoquia and other regions of Colombia and America.

Molecular Detection of Rickettsia and Other Bacteria in Ticks and Birds in an Urban Fragment of Tropical Dry Forest in Magdalena, Colombia

“…Likewise, this author also reported Rickettsia amblyommatis in Amblyomma longirostre , Amblyomma varium and Ixodes sp., obtaining a general prevalence of 11%, lower than that obtained in our study. Cardona-Romero et al [ 29 ] reported Rickettsia parkeri in Amblyomma nodosum in Arauca, and, as in our study, the bird species T. aedon was the one that showed the greatest infestation by ticks.…”

“…No significant difference was observed in the abundance of ticks collected from birds during the months sampled. However, when comparing the mean abundance of ticks per family of bird, we found that in our study, it was higher than that obtained in the studies carried out by Cardona-Romero et al [ 29 ] and Martínez-Sanchez et al [ 76 ], also in Colombia ( Table 1 ). We believe that this is due to the characteristics of the study area, as they sampled areas with abundant levels of precipitation throughout the year and floodplain ecosystems.…”

“…Although ticks are cosmopolitan, most are found mainly in warm climates [4,77]. It is worth mentioning that the greater interactions observed between ticks and rickettsia in Cardona-Romero et al [29] and Martínez-Sanchez et al [76] studies may be due to the fact that these were carried out in larger study areas, which included 8 to 11 localities, including elevations from 178 to 3845 m. Our study was carried out in an urban fragment of dry forest, surrounded by an urban matrix.…”

“…In Colombia, nine species of ticks have been reported parasitizing wild birds: A. dissimile , Amblyomma longirostre , Amblyomma ovale , Amblyomma varium , Amblyomma nodosum , Amblyomma calcaratum , Amblyomma mixtum , Haemaphysalis leporispalustris and Ixodes sp. [ 29 , 30 , 75 ]. However, only two studies report Rickettsia infestation in ticks collected from wild birds, one of which is that of Martínez-Sanchez et al [ 30 ], who reported the parasitism of “ Candidatus Rickettsia colombianensi” in A. dissimile collected in the boreal migratory bird species Oporornis agilis in the department of Caldas.…”

“…Colombia has the largest number of bird species in the world, which have been studied due to their association with viral diseases such as avian influenza [ 26 , 27 ]. However, studies carried out by Londoño et al [ 28 ], Cardona-Romero et al [ 29 ] and Martínez-Sanchez et al [ 30 ] suggest that birds have an important role in maintaining the circulation and spread of rickettsiae.…”