Marinete Amorim

Epidemiological aspects of the Brazilian spotted fever: seasonal activity of ticks collected in an endemic area in São Paulo, Brazil

Ticks were collected from vegetation and animals at monthly intervals during one year (1993-1994) in an endemic area of Brazilian spotted fever in the Country of Pedreira, State of São Paulo. Six species of ticks were identified Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma cooperi, Amblyomma triste, Anocentor nitens, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Boophilus microplus. Only the first species was sufficiently numerous to permit a quantitative study with seasonal activity, although the distribution and source of capture of other species were observed and are reported. This information is correlated with the epidemiology of tick-borne rickettsiosis.

Ecological analysis of Acari recovered from coprolites from archaeological site of Northeast Brazil

Coprolite samples of human and animal origin from the excavations performed at the archaeological site of Furna do Estrago, at Brejo da Madre de Deus in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil and sent to the Paleoparasitology Laboratory at Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, were analyzed for mites. After rehydratation and sedimentation of the coprolites, the alimentary contents and the sediments were examined and the mites collected and prepared in definitive whole mounts, using Hoyers medium. Mites of the following suborders and orders were recovered: suborder Acaridia; order Gamasida; order Ixodida with the familiy Ixodidae (Ixodes sp. and Amblyomma sp. larvae, scutum, idiosoma, gnathosoma); order Oribatida (Aphelacarus sp., Apolohmannia sp., Eophypochthonius sp., Cosmochthonius sp., Pterobates sp., Poronoticae with pteromorphae not auriculate); order Astigmata with the families Atopomelidae (Chirodiscoides caviae), Anoetidae hypopus, Acaridae (Suidasia pontifica), Glycyphagidae (Blomia tropicalis), Pyroglyphidae (Hirstia passericola); order Actinedida with the family Tarsonemidae (Iponemus radiatae). The present work discusses the possibility of the preservation of the mite groups found up to the present day. We also discuss their relationship with the environment and their importance to present populations.

Rickettsia and Vector Biodiversity of Spotted Fever Focus, Atlantic Rain Forest Biome, Brazil

Rickettsia rickettsii, R. felis, and R. parkeri, strain Atlantic rainforest, have been characterized after being found in areas to which Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is endemic (1,2), which indicates the complexity of their epidemic and enzootic cycles. The Atlantic rain forest is one of the largest and richest biomes of Brazil, and antropic action has intensely influenced its transformation. Most BSF cases and all BSF-related deaths are recorded in this biome area. Many BSF cases were recorded in Paraiba do Sul river basin, one of the most urbanized and industrialized areas of Brazil. To better understand arthropod and Rickettsia diversity in this area,, we analyzed 2,076 arthropods from Rio de Janeiro state, Atlantic rain forest biome....(AU)

Parasitismo por Acari e Phthiraptera em cobaios [Cavia Porcellus (Linnaeus, 1758)] de ambientes rural e urbano nos municípios de Silva Jardim e Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Neste trabalho foram estudadas as cargas parasitarias de Acari e Phthiraptera em 28 cobaios provenientes de dois municipios do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Os cobaios foram contidos mecanicamente para remocao dos ectoparasitos, pelo ato de pentear a pelagem com pente fino. Os especimes de parasitas encontrados foram contados com auxilio de estereomicroscopio e identificados com ajuda de microscopia de luz. Dos sete cobaias de vida rural foram removidos 3134 acaros, e dos 21 cobaios de vida urbana, foram recolhidos 1472 acaros, todos da especie Chirodiscoides caviae. Tambem foram encontrados 263 malofagos nos animais de ambiente urbano e 567 malofagos nos de ambiente rural, sendo estes de tres especies distintas: Gliricola porcelli, Gyropus ovalis e Trimenopon hispidum. Os valores de Abundância Parasitaria e Intensidade Media de Parasitismo dos dois grupos foram muito proximos e a prevalencia de ambos muito alta. Os resultados permitiram concluir que o habitat dos cobaios influencia a carga parasitaria de todas as especies de ectoparasitos encontrados.

Seasonal analysis of the number of aeropiles in Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) (Acari: Ixodidae) from the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Variation between aeropile numbers of the right and left peritrematic plate in male and female Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) is reported from a site in Brazil. From January to December 1998, 146 males and 247 females of A. nitens were recovered from Equus caballus L. in Silva Jardim District, State of Rio de Janeiro. Asymmetry of numbers of aeropiles between right and left plates occurred in 83.6% of the males and 82.2% of the females. Differences in the number of aeropiles between the sexes were not significant. Quantitative variation of aeropiles was correlated to the period of recovery, with significant asymmetry detected in August-September and November-December, mainly in males. Results suggest an adaptation, especially in the male ticks, that expresses itself as greater variation in the number of aeropiles in some periods of the year.

Presence of Amblyomma cajennense in Wild Giant Armadillos (Priodontes maximus) of the Pantanal Matogrossense, Brazil

Abstract The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest extant representative of the order Cingulata. Information on the parasites and diseases affecting this species is scarce. Four female and one male ticks were collected from two wild-caught, adult giant armadillos from the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil. All of them were identified as Amblyomma cajennense. This is the first report of A. cajennense in giant armadillos. Considering the low host specificity of this ixodid tick that may act as vector of pathogens, and the sustained encroachment of domestic animals into wildlife habitat, the risk of disease transmission from cattle to this threatened armadillo should be evaluated.

Rickettsia sp. Strain NOD Infecting Ticks (Amblyomma nodosum) in an Endemic Area of Spotted Fever in Brazil

Abstract:  Amblyomma nodosum ticks were collected from one collared anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) in the Caatinga biome, Brazil. From one sample, we isolated a Rickettsia sp. that was phylogenetically close to Rickettsia sp. strain NOD, with 99.9, 100.0, and 99.8% identity for gltA, htrA, and ompA genes, respectively.