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Ticks infesting dogs in rural communities of Yucatan, Mexico and molecular diagnosis of rickettsial infection
Author(s) -
OjedaChi Melina M.,
RodriguezVivas Roger Ivan,
EsteveGasent Maria D.,
Pérez de León Adalberto A.,
Modarelli Joseph J.,
VillegasPerez Sandra L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.12990
Subject(s) - rhipicephalus sanguineus , biology , canis , tick , nymph , nested polymerase chain reaction , veterinary medicine , rhipicephalus microplus , vector (molecular biology) , rickettsia rickettsii , dirofilaria immitis , zoology , spotted fever , virology , ixodidae , polymerase chain reaction , rickettsia , ecology , gene , virus , genetics , medicine , recombinant dna , helminths
Rickettsial infection in dog‐associated ticks in three rural communities of Yucatan, Mexico was investigated using qPCR and nested PCR assays. A total of 319 dogs were studied and ticks samples were collected. A total of 170 dogs were infested with ticks (frequency of 53.4%). Overall, 1,380 ticks representing seven species were collected: Amblyomma mixtum, A. ovale, A. parvum, A. cf. oblongoguttatum , Ixodes affinis, Rhipicephalus microplus , and R. sanguineus sensu lato. The most abundant species was R. sanguineus s.l. with a mean intensity of 7.4 ticks/host. Dogs in the communities of Chan San Antonio and Yaxcheku were 2.84 and 2.41 times more likely to be infected with R. sanguineus compared with Sucopo ( p < 0.05). Adult pools of A. mixtum, A. parvum, I. affinis, R. microplus , and A. c.f. oblongoguttatum were negative to E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, A. phagocytophilum , and R. rickettsii . However, pools of R . sanguineus s.l. adults and A. ovale adults, as well as nymphs of Amblyomma spp. were positive to E. canis . Sequencing analysis of the nested PCR products amplifying the 16S rRNA gene fragment of E. canis confirmed the results and revealed 100% identity with sequences of E. canis . This is the first report worldwide of E. canis infection in A. ovale by PCR . This finding does not necessarily indicate that A. ovale is a competent vector of E. canis because pathogen transmission of this specific tick to a naïve dog remains to be documented. This study documented that different tick species parasitize dogs in Yucatan, Mexico, where R. sanguineus s.l., A. ovale , and nymphs of Amblyomma spp. were shown to be infected with E. canis . These findings highlight the need for control strategies against tick infestations in dogs to prevent the risk of tick‐borne disease transmission among companion animal and probably human populations.