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Exposure of small mammals to ticks and rickettsiae in Atlantic Forest patches in the metropolitan area of Recife, North-eastern Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2012

FILIPE DANTAS-TORRES ,
FILIPE MARTINS ALÉSSIO ,
DANIEL BARRETO SIQUEIRA ,
JEAN-FRANÇOIS MAUFFREY ,
MARIA FERNANDA V. MARVULO ,
THIAGO F. MARTINS ,
JONAS MORAES-FILHO ,
MARIA CECÍLIA G. O. CAMARGO ,
SANDRA REGINA NICOLETTI D'AURIA  and
MARCELO B. LABRUNA
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FILIPE DANTAS-TORRES*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Zootecnia, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy
FILIPE MARTINS ALÉSSIO
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Population Environnement Développement, Université de Provence, Marseille, France
DANIEL BARRETO SIQUEIRA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 52171-900 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Instituto Brasileiro para Medicina da Conservação - Tríade, 52061-030 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
JEAN-FRANÇOIS MAUFFREY
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Population Environnement Développement, Université de Provence, Marseille, France
MARIA FERNANDA V. MARVULO
Affiliation:
Instituto Brasileiro para Medicina da Conservação - Tríade, 52061-030 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
THIAGO F. MARTINS
Affiliation:
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-230 São Paulo, Brazil
JONAS MORAES-FILHO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-230 São Paulo, Brazil
MARIA CECÍLIA G. O. CAMARGO
Affiliation:
Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo, 02031-020 São Paulo, Brazil
SANDRA REGINA NICOLETTI D'AURIA
Affiliation:
Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo, 02031-020 São Paulo, Brazil
MARCELO B. LABRUNA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-230 São Paulo, Brazil
JEAN CARLOS RAMOS SILVA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 52171-900 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Instituto Brasileiro para Medicina da Conservação - Tríade, 52061-030 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
*
*Corresponding author: Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Zootecnia, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Tel/Fax: +39 080 4679839. E-mail: f.dantastorres@veterinaria.uniba.it
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Summary

Between December 2007 and March 2009, small mammals were captured in 6 Atlantic Forest patches in Brazil. We assessed tick-host associations and whether they differ among forest strata, sites, seasons, and host age classes or between sexes. Moreover, we assessed the exposure of animals to Rickettsia spp. In total, 432 animals were captured and 808 ticks were found on 32·9% of them. Significant differences were found among host species, collection sites, and forest strata; microhabitat preference was a strong risk factor for tick infestation. The highest tick density rates were recorded in forest fragments settled in rural areas; 91·3% of the ticks were collected from animals trapped in these forest fragments. A high prevalence (68·8%) of antibodies to Rickettsia spp. was detected among animals. This study suggests that disturbed Atlantic Forest fragments provide an environment for ticks and small mammals, which are highly exposed to rickettsiae. It also indicates that forest patches settled in rural areas are usually associated with higher small mammal diversity as well as with higher tick density rates.

Keywords

Atlantic forestticksRickettsiaserologyforest fragmentsRecife
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 139 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 83 - 91
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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