Questing ticks in Atlantic rainforest (Mata Atlantica) fragments in the municipality of Divino, Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Abstract

The tick species and tick-borne pathogens present in a group of questing ticks collected from forest fragments in a rural area in the municipality of Divino, Minas Gerais state, Brazil were evaluated. The collected ticks were divided into two groups those collected from around the edges of the fragments and those collected from the interior of the forest. In all the fragments, the ticks were collected using a dragging and flagging technique and by harvesting them from white fabric gaiters. The larvae, nymphs, and adults were all morphologically identified using specific taxonomic keys. The larvae were identified to the genus level. DNA was extracted from the ticks and tested for the presence of Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. using a conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In total, 1,122 questing ticks (750 larvae, 367 nymphs, and five adults) and 18 larval clusters were evaluated. The main species found in the collected tick population were Amblyomma sculptum, A. auricularium, A. aureolatum, and A. pseudoconcolor, along with the larvae of Amblyomma spp. and Dermacentor spp. None of the tick samples gave a positive result when tested by PCR for the presence of DNA from Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., or Theileria spp.