Serological exposure of spotted fever group Rickettsia in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from urban parks in Campo Grande, Brazilian Midwest

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: João Bosco Vilela Campos, Filipe Santos Martins, Gabriel Carvalho de Macedo, Wanessa Teixeira Gomes Barreto, Carina Elisei de Oliveira, Amália Regina Mar Barbieri, Marcelo Bahia Labruna, Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues Oliveira-Santos, Heitor Miraglia Herrera
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2022
• Subjects: Capybaras; Rickettsia spp; Urban parks; One health; Brazilian mildest; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0192-2022; https://doaj.org/article/837a31312fff451f9ba7291e927f86d3

ABSTRACT Background: Rickettsia of the spotted fever group (SFG) has been reported in ticks and domestic animals in Campo Grande (CG), Midwest Brazil. Methods: We searched for Rickettsia in the SFG in capybaras and their ticks in an urban park in the CG. Results: The seropositivity rate was 88.2% (15/17). Although 87.7% of the capybaras sampled showed infestations with Amblyomma sculptum, A. dubitatum, and Amblyomma spp., no molecular results were detected in ticks. Conclusions: Since Rickettsia from the SFG circulates among capybaras in the urban parks of Campo Grande, this large rodent species should be monitored within the One Health Agenda.