Short Communication
ISSN 1984-2961 (Electronic)
www.cbpv.org.br/rbpv
Braz. J. Vet. Parasitol., Jaboticabal, v. 28, n. 1, p. 177-179, jan.-mar. 2019
Doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-296120180082
Ticks in wild animals at a resort and the first
documentation of Amblyomma sculptum infesting Emu
(Dromaius novaehollandiae)
Carrapatos em animais selvagens em um resort e o primeiro registro de Amblyomma sculptum infestando Emu
(Dromaius novaehollandiae)
Izabela Mesquita Araújo1; Paulo Cesar Magalhães-Matos1; Matheus Dias Cordeiro1; Adlilton Pacheco1;
Bruno Silva Rocha2; Luis Felipe Barbosa Braga Feitoza1; Argemiro Sanavria1; Adivaldo Henrique Fonseca1*
1
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro – UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil
2
Portobello Resort, Mangaratiba, RJ, Brasil
Received August 23, 2018
Accepted October 10, 2018
Abstract
The study aimed to identify species of ticks present in the environment and among captive animals, in Mangaratiba,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ticks were isolated from captive animals by manual examination and free-living ticks in the
environment were captured using the flannel drag technique. A total of 91 ticks were obtained (51 adults, 25 nymphs and
15 larvae). The specimens were identified morphologically as Amblyomma sp., Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma ovale
and Amblyomma sculptum, and were distributed among five species of native mammals and an exotic bird. This study
also reports the first case of infestation of the Australian emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) by A. sculptum.
Keywords: Ticks, Amblyomma, wild animal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Resumo
O estudo teve como objetivo identificar espécies de carrapatos presentes no ambiente e entre animais de cativeiro em
Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Os carrapatos foram removidos manualmente de animais de cativeiro e no ambiente
usando a técnica de arrasto em flanela. Um total de 91 carrapatos foram capturados (51 adultos, 25 ninfas e 15 larvas).
Os espécimes foram identificados morfologicamente como Amblyomma sp., Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma ovale
e Amblyomma sculptum, e foram distribuídos entre cinco espécies de mamíferos nativos e uma ave exótica. Este estudo
também relata o primeiro caso de infestação do emu australiano (Dromaius novaehollandiae) por A. sculptum.
Palavras-chave: Carrapatos, Amblyomma, animais selvagens, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Ticks are haematophagous ectoparasites with a cosmopolitan
distribution and a wide variety of species (GUGLIELMONE et al.,
2014). In Brazil, most species of ticks belong to the genus
Amblyomma (DANTAS-TORRES et al., 2012), which parasitize
a great diversity of hosts. Humans may also play host to these
ticks when coming into contact with their natural habitat and
hosts (BARROS-BATTESTI et al., 2006).
In Brazil, recent studies have demonstrated the importance
of knowing the species of ticks on captive animals in public
and private conservation units (GONZALEZ et al., 2017;
MAGALHÃES-MATOS et al., 2017; NASCIMENTO et al.,
2017).
*Corresponding author: Adivaldo Henrique Fonseca. Departamento
de Epidemiologia e Saúde Pública, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade
Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro – UFRRJ, Campus de Seropédica, BR 465,
Km 7, Bairro Ecologia, CEP 23891-000, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil. e-mail:
adivaldofonseca@yahoo.com
Therefore, this study aimed to identify tick species occurring
in the environment and among captive animals at a resort and
safari in the municipality of Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro.
The study was carried out between September 2016 and February
2017 at a Porto Bello safari belonging to a Resort in Mangaratiba,
Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil (22°54’58.135”S, 44°4’23.046”W).
This safari has an area of 300.000 m2 and houses about 500 animals
of the South American, European and African fauna, which coexist in
the same environment. Among the species that inhabit the safari are
zebras (Equus burchellii Linnaeus, 1758), camels (Camelus dromedaries
Linnaeus, 1758), dromedaries (Camelus bactrianus Linnaeus,
1758), llamas (Lama glama Linnaeus, 1758), deer (Rusa unicolor
Kerr, 1792), capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris Linnaeus,
1766), tapirs (Tapirus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758), peccaries (Tayassu
tajacu Linnaeus, 1758), and a variety of wild birds such as macaws
(Ara chloropterus Gray, 1859), emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae
Latham, 1790) and ostriches (Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Araújo, I.M. et al.
178 178/179
During the study period, visits were made to the safari with
the objective of collecting ticks from the animals and searching
the environment by dragging white flannel over the vegetation,
as described by Oliveira et al. (2000).
Immediately after collection, all ticks were packed in
polypropylene tubes containing RNAlater® solution. Thereafter,
they were transported to the laboratory. Taxonomic identification
was performed based on morphology using dichotomic keys
specific for ixodid ticks, the key proposed by Martins et al. (2010)
for nymphs and the key modified by Guimarães et al. (2001) in
Barros-Battesti et al. (2006) and Nava et al. (2014) for adults.
In total, 91 ticks of the genus Amblyomma were obtained,
51 adults, 25 nymphs and 15 larvae. The identities of tick species
and their respective hosts are shown in Table 1.
Amblyomma sculptum Berlese, 1888 was captured in the environment
and was also found parasitizing capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Linnaeus, 1766), tapirs (Tapirus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758),
peccary (Tayassu tajacu Linnaeus, 1758) and an emu, Dromaius
novaehollandiae Latham, 1790 (Table 1, Figure 1). According
to Guimarães et al. (2001), it is common to find A. sculptum in
large and medium-sized mammals. The ticks are mainly found
on capybaras and tapirs, as they play a fundamental role in the
lifecycle of the tick, serving as the main hosts for all parasitic stages.
This is the first record of A. sculptum from an emu, a large
bird that is not capable of flying, native to Australia and present
over almost the entire continent, especially in semi-arid regions
(THOMPSON, 2001). To date, there is limited knowledge regarding
the species of ticks that commonly parasitize emus, with only a
recent study reporting the parasitism by Ixodes cornuatus Roberts,
1960 of a captive emu at the Healesville sanctuary, Australia (KWAK
Table 1. Ticks captured in vegetation and collected in wild animals
kept in captivity on a safari, in the municipality of Mangaratiba, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil.
Hosts (n)
Mammalia
Order Perissodactyla
Tapirus terrestis (2)
Order Artiodactyla
Tayassu tajacu (1)
Order Rodentia
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (1)
H. hydrochaeris (1)
Aves
Order Casuariiformes
Dromaius novaehollandiae (1)
Reptilia
Order Testudinata
Chelonoidis spp. (12)
Questing Ticks *
Braz. J. Vet. Parasitol.
& MADDEN, 2017). In the present study, eight semi-engorged
nymphs of A. sculptum were found fixed to the temporal region
of the head and proximal part of the neck of captive animals at
a safari in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Table 1, Figure 1). Of these
nymphs, two were deposited at the collection of Wingless Vector
Arthropods of Importance in the Health of Communities of the
Oswaldo Cruz Institute (CAVAISC – FIOCruz), in Rio de Janeiro,
with deposit numbers CAVAISC-IXO 3296.
Ticks of the species Amblyomma dubitatum Neumann,
1899, Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844 and Amblyomma incisum
Neumann, 1906 were found in the inspected capybara (Table 1).
This large rodent has previously been described as the main host
for all parasitic stages of A. dubitatum (NAVA et al., 2010).
However, A. ovale is most commonly recorded in wild and domestic
carnivores (GUGLIELMONE et al., 2003; LABRUNA et al.,
2005a; MAGALHÃES-MATOS et al., 2017), with small rodents
as hosts during the immature stages (GUGLIELMONE et al.,
2003). Amblyomma incisum primarily parasitizes the tapir in
adulthood (LABRUNA et al., 2005b) and little is known about
hosts for the immature stages (GUIMARÃES et al., 2001;
SZABÓ et al., 2009). In the present study, although no specimen
of A. incisum was found in the tapirs, the animals sharing an
enclosure may have facilitated the infestation of capybaras by
a nymph of this species of tick. No ticks were found in the
inspected Chelonoidis spp. (Table 1).
Therefore, it is important to perform acarological surveys in
captive animals, especially in places where humans are common
(such as safaris and zoos) since many species of ticks therein are
vectors of pathogens that cause human diseases. In this study,
three species of ticks that are of great importance for public health
were identified, namely A. sculptum, A. dubitatum and A. ovale,
which are responsible for the transmission of Rickettsia bacteria
that cause spotted fever (SZABÓ et al., 2013).
Numbers, stages and species of
ticks
5M, 1F, 1N A. sculptum
1M A. sculptum
1F A. ovale; 5F A. dubitatum; 2F,
13M, 1N A. sculptum
20M, 3F A. dubitatum; 1N A. incisum
8N A. sculptum
0
14N A. sculptum; 15L Amblyomma sp.
L=larvae; N= nynphs; A= adults;
* Free-living ticks captured through the technique of dragging a white flannel
over vegetation.
Figure 1. An emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) infested by a nymph of
Amblyomma sculptum in the left temporal region of the head (arrow).
v. 28, n. 1, jan.-mar. 2019
Ticks in wild animals at a resort
179/179 179
Acknowledgements
Parasitol 2005b; 91(3): 527-541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/GE-446R.
PMid:16108543.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Fundação
de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro - FAPERJ (A.H.F.,
grant number E 26/201.144/2014) and Conselho Nacional de
Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq) (A.H.F.
305480/2013-8), for their financial assistence.
Magalhães-Matos PC, Moraes MFD, Valim JRA, Castro GNS, Santos
PN, Manier BSML, et al. Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and lice (Phthiraptera:
Trichodectidae) infesting free-living coatis (Nasua nasua Linnaeus,
1766) with sylvatic and synanthropic habits in the Atlantic rainforest of
Southern Brazil. Syst Appl Acarol 2017; 22(6): 779-784. http://dx.doi.
org/10.11158/saa.22.6.3.
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