Detection of antibodies anti-Rickettsia spp. in dogs and horses in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil

• Main Authors: Marcus Vinicius de Amorim, Andréia Lima Tomé Melo, André Luis Santos de Freitas, Ricardo Pereira Laub, Rosane Marini Melo, Daniel Moura de Aguiar, Anderson Castro Soares de Oliveira, Jonas Moraes-Filho, Marcelo Bahia Labruna, Richard de Campos Pacheco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Estadual de Londrina 2014-02-01
• Series: Semina: Ciências Agrárias
• Subjects: Horses and dogs; Indirect immunofluorescence assay; Seroprevalence; Rickettsia spp.; Mato Grosso
• Online Access: http://www.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/semagrarias/editor/submission/14182

This study evaluated the infection caused by Rickettsia spp. among dogs and horses from Mato Grosso State. A total of 384 dogs and 460 horses were tested by the Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) for Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, Rickettsia amblyommii, Rickettsia rhipicephali and Rickettsia bellii Overall, 3.12% (12/384) of the dogs were seroreactive for at least one Rickettsia species. A total of 7 (1.82%) canine sera showed titers to R. bellii at least 4-fold higher than those to any of the other rickettsial antigens, allowing us to consider that these dogs were infected by R. bellii. In horses, 273 (59.34 %) samples were positives for at least one antigen tested, and highest anti-Rickettsia spp. endpoint titers were observed for R. amblyommii, suggesting homologous reactions to this agent or a very closely related organism. The results showed that dogs are under low exposition to ticks infected with spotted fever group Rickettsia, indicating low risk of human infection by these agents. However, R. amblyommii is widely distributed in the State.