Evaluation of the vectorial capacity of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) in the transmission of canine visceral leishmaniasis (original) (raw)
Abstract
The vectorial capacity of Rhipicephalus sanguineus in the transmission of canine visceral leishmaniasis has been evaluated through a laboratory-controlled experiment. One healthy _Leishmania_-free dog and two dogs naturally infected with Leishmania were infested with R. sanguineus in various stages of development. Engorged larvae, unfed nymphs, engorged nymphs, unfed adults, engorged female adults and fed male adults were collected from the experimental animals and examined for Leishmania infection by optical microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and parasite culture. Leishmania forms were not detected in any of the 433 smears prepared from engorged colonies nor in any of the 118 smears prepared from unfed colonies. However, one flagellate structure was identified in one of the smears. All pools of R. sanguineus that had fed on the infected dogs tested PCR-positive for Leishmania DNA, with the single exception of the pool of engorged larvae. In contrast, all pools of ticks that had fed on the _Leishmania_-free dog were PCR-negative. Leishmania growth was not observed in any of the tick colonies following incubation on culture medium. Considering that no Leishmania forms were identified in any of the meticulously analysed smears derived from engorged colonies of R. sanguineus, it appears somewhat unlikely that the maintenance and multiplication of Leishmania occurs within the tick.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the staff of the Secretaria Municipal de Saúde (Bom Sucesso, MG, Brazil) and the Serviço de Controle de Zoonoses (Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil) for their valuable assistance. Special thanks are due to Prof. Evaldo do Nascimento for assistance with the maintenance of the dogs. The project was financially supported by PAPES V/FIOCRUZ (Proc. 403608/2008-2).
Ethical standards
The study was submitted to and approved by the Comissão de Ética no Uso de Animais (CEUA/FIOCRUZ) under protocol no. L-044/08. All procedures involving experimental animals were conducted according to the guidelines of Colégio Brasileiro de Experimentação Animal (COBEA).
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Authors and Affiliations
- Laboratório de Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Gustavo Fontes Paz, Érika Monteiro Michalsky, Ana Cristina Vianna Mariano da Rocha Lima, Ricardo Andrade Barata & Edelberto Santos Dias - Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Múcio Flávio Barbosa Ribeiro & João Carlos França-Silva - Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioinformática, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, 30510-010, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Consuelo Latorre Fortes-Dias
Authors
- Gustavo Fontes Paz
- Múcio Flávio Barbosa Ribeiro
- Érika Monteiro Michalsky
- Ana Cristina Vianna Mariano da Rocha Lima
- João Carlos França-Silva
- Ricardo Andrade Barata
- Consuelo Latorre Fortes-Dias
- Edelberto Santos Dias
Corresponding author
Correspondence toEdelberto Santos Dias.
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Paz, G.F., Ribeiro, M.F.B., Michalsky, É.M. et al. Evaluation of the vectorial capacity of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) in the transmission of canine visceral leishmaniasis.Parasitol Res 106, 523–528 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1697-1
- Received: 29 July 2009
- Accepted: 23 November 2009
- Published: 10 December 2009
- Issue date: January 2010
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1697-1