Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and Associated Pathogens Collected From Domestic Animals and Vegetation in Stann Creek District, Southeastern Belize, Central America
Abstract
Data on the prevalence and distribution of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Belize are lacking. Ticks (n = 564) collected from dogs, horses, and vegetation in two villages in Stann Creek District in southeastern Belize in 2018, were molecularly identified and screened for tick-borne nonviral human pathogens. The identity of 417 ticks was molecularly confirmed by DNA barcoding as Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (66.43%), Amblyomma ovale Koch (15.59%), Dermacentor nitens Neumann (11.51%), Amblyomma sp. ADB0528 (3.6%), and the remainder being small records (2.87%) of Amblyomma coelebs Neumann, Amblyomma imitator Kohls, Amblyomma tapirellum Dunn, Amblyomma auricularium Conil, and Amblyomma maculatum Koch. Individual tick extracts were screened for the presence of Rickettsia spp., Babesia spp., Babesia microti, Borrelia spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Anaplasma spp. using available conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic Rainforest was identified in five specimens of A. ovale, and one other unidentified tick, all collected from dogs. Another unidentified tick—also collected from a dog—tested positive for an undefined but previously detected Ehrlichia sp. With the exception of D. nitens, all eight other tick species identified in this study were collected on dogs, suggesting that dogs could be usefully employed as sentinel animals for tick surveillance in Belize.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 29, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1093/jme/tjac112
Entities
People
- Alvaro Cruz
- Brian P. Bourke
- Chien-Chung Chao
- Christina M. Farris
- Donovan Leiva
- John P. Grieco
- John Tarpey
- Ju Jiang
- Laura Caicedo-quiroga
- Le Jiang
- Marie Pott
- Nicole L Achee
- Razan Badr
- Suppaluck Polsomboon Nelson
- Yvonne-marie Linton
Organizations
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
- Loyola University New Orleans
- National Museum of Natural History
- Naval Medical Research Center
- Smithsonian Institution
- United States Army Medical Research and Development Command
- University of Notre Dame
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research