Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2017-05-05T17:41:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2012 - Joice Aparecida Rezende Vilela.pdf: 2330778 bytes, checksum: 444dfb2be034c128fc34d8e5ad64d910 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-05T17:41:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2012 - Joice Aparecida Rezende Vilela.pdf: 2330778 bytes, checksum: 444dfb2be034c128fc34d8e5ad64d910 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-30 / CAPES / The canine babesiosis, is a disease widely distributed in Brazil and worldwide, caused by? protozoa of the genus Babesia?spp. that parasitize erythrocytes and it?s transmitted by ticks? Ixodidae. This study aimed to characterize the epidemiology of canine babesiosis through? questionnaires and serological diagnosis by ELISA, diagnosis of Babesia? spp. infection in? dogs by real?time PCR technique, identify the subspecies of B. canis?by RFLP, characterize? the hematological aspects, diagnosis by direct microscopy, identification of ectoparasites and? diagnosis by real?time PCR, the agent of canine babesiosis in ticks from dogs from rural and? urban areas from Serop?dica city, RJ State. The present study evaluated 311 dogs, 167? (n=53,7%) of rural and 144 (n=46,3%) in urban areas. By ELISA technique, was found 39? dogs (12,54%) serologically positive for Babesia canis, with frequency of seropositivity of? 21,56% ???(n=36/167) in dogs of rural area and 2,08% (n=3/144) in dogs from urban area, and? therefore the rural area, the highest seropositivity (p<0,0001). The variables associated with? seropositivity were: area of residence of the dog, breed, age, presence of ticks, environment of? dog access, contact with other animals, the animal's habits, condition of cleanliness of the? environment, absence of veterinary care and animal wandering. The profile of the owner and? its management were striking features in parasitism by ticks and consequently the frequency? of seropositivity to the agent. The diagnostic by PCR real??time of blood samples from dogs? showed a frequency of 11,90% (n=37/311). The subspecies identified affecting dogs of this? region was B. canis vogeli. Of the total of 311 dogs evaluated, infestations by ectoparasites? were found in 252 (81,03%) dogs at the time of collection. Of these, 70,64% (n=178/252)? were infested with ticks. In relation to the infestation, Rhipicephalus sanguineus?was found in? 68,54% (n=122/178) of the dogs, Amblyomma cajennense?in 11,80% (n=21/178), A. ovale?in? 3,37% (n=6/178) and A. dubitatum? in 0,56% (n=1/178). Nymphs of R. sanguineus? and? Amblyomma sp. were observed in 13,48% (n=24/178) and 5,62% (n=10/178) of dogs infected? with ticks, respectively. The tick species most common in urban and rural areas was R. sanguineus, which was associated with positivity of B. canis?in dogs by molecular method.? The frequency of ticks positive for B. canis?was 5% (n=12/240). The DNA from B. canis?was? detected in nine R. sanguineus?ticks, an A. cajennense?adult and two nymphs of Amblyomma? sp. The main hematological changes in infected dogs were: anemia, thrombocytopenia and? hemoglobinemia. The study concluded that canine babesiosis caused by B. canis vogeli?occurs? in rural and urban areas from the Serop?dica being of great importance its occurrence in the? cities of the Rio de Janeiro State, which have characteristics similar expansion of urbanization? to rural areas with little distinction between the two areas and points to the importance of? diagnosis and identification of the pathogen and vectors in dogs, in order to know the? epidemiological conditions for the adoption of appropriate preventive measures, because in? addition to affect the animal health, many of these vectors are capable to transmit pathogens? to humans.? / A babesiose canina, patologia de ampla distribui??o no Brasil e no mundo, ? causada por? protozo?rios do g?nero Babesia? spp., que parasitam hem?cias e s?o transmitidos por? carrapatos Ixodidae. O presente trabalho objetivou determinar a epidemiologia da babesiose? canina atrav?s de aplica??o de question?rios e diagn?stico por ELISA, diagn?stico por? microscopia direta, diagn?stico de Babesia canis? por meio da PCR em tempo real,? identifica??o das subesp?cies de B. canis? por meio da RFLP, caracteriza??o das principais? altera??es hematol?gicas, identifica??o dos ectoparasitos e diagn?stico atrav?s da PCR em? tempo real do agente da babesiose canina em carrapatos de c?es do munic?pio de Serop?dica,? Baixada Fluminense ??RJ. No presente estudo foram avaliados 311 c?es, sendo 167 (n=53,7%)? de ?rea rural e 144 (n=46,3%) de ?rea urbana. Atrav?s do teste de ELISA, encontrou?se um? total de 39 c?es (12,54%) sorologicamente positivos para Babesia canis, com frequ?ncia de? 21,56% (n=36/167) nos c?es de ?rea rural e 2,08% (n=3/144) nos c?es de ?rea urbana, sendo,? portanto a ?rea rural, a de maior soropositividade (p<0,0001). As vari?veis que apresentaram? associa??o com a soropositividade foram: ?rea de domic?lio do c?o, defini??o racial, idade,? infesta??o por carrapatos, locais de acesso do c?o, contato com outros animais, h?bito do? animal, ambiente do c?o, aus?ncia de limpeza do ambiente, aus?ncia de assist?ncia? veterin?ria, aus?ncia de abrigo e origem errante. O perfil do propriet?rio e o manejo do c?o? apresentaram caracter?sticas marcantes no parasitismo por carrapatos e consequentemente na? frequ?ncia de soropositividade para o agente. O diagn?stico pela PCR em tempo real de? amostras sangu?neas de c?es revelou uma frequ?ncia de 11,90% (n=37/311). A subesp?cie? identificada acometendo c?es desta regi?o foi B. canis vogeli. Do total de 311 c?es avaliados,? foram observadas infesta??es por ectoparasitos em 252 (81,03%) c?es. Destes, 70,64%? (n=178/252) apresentaram?se infestados por carrapatos. Em rela??o ? infesta??o por? carrapatos, Rhipicephalus sanguineus foi encontrado em 68,54% (n=122/178) dos c?es,? Amblyomma cajennense em 11,80% (n=21/178), A. ovale em 3,37% (n=6/178) e A. dubitatum em 0,56% (n=1/178) dos c?es infestados por carrapatos. Ninfas de R. sanguineus e? Amblyomma sp. foram observadas em 13,48% (n=24/178) e 5,62% (n=10/178) dos c?es? infestados por carrapatos, respectivamente. A esp?cie de carrapato mais frequente nos meios? urbano e rural foi R. sanguineus, que apresentou associa??o com a positividade de B. canis? vogeli?nos c?es pelo m?todo molecular. A frequ?ncia de carrapatos positivos para B. canis foi? de 5% (n=12/240). O DNA de B. canis foi detectado em nove carrapatos adultos de R. sanguineus, em um adulto de A. cajennense? e em duas ninfas de Amblyomma? sp.. As? principais altera??es hematol?gicas nos c?es infectados foram: anemia, hemoglobinemia e? trombocitopenia. O estudo permitiu concluir que a babesiose canina causada por B. canis vogeli?ocorre nas ?reas rurais e urbanas do munic?pio estudado sendo de grande import?ncia a? sua ocorr?ncia nos munic?pios da Baixada Fluminense do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, os quais? apresentam caracter?sticas semelhantes de expans?o da urbaniza??o para o meio rural com? pequena distin??o entre as duas ?reas e aponta para a import?ncia do diagn?stico do pat?geno? e identifica??o de vetores nos c?es, visando o conhecimento das condi??es epidemiol?gicas? para a ado??o de medidas profil?ticas adequadas, pois al?m de afetarem a sanidade animal? muitos destes vetores s?o capazes de veicularem pat?genos transmiss?veis ao homem.??

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-04-24T20:39:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2014 - Maria Clara da Silva Negreiros Botelho.pdf: 2378053 bytes, checksum: bfc9cb9e12f70927d727da1fba44c017 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-24T20:39:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2014 - Maria Clara da Silva Negreiros Botelho.pdf: 2378053 bytes, checksum: bfc9cb9e12f70927d727da1fba44c017 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / CNPq / FAPUR (UFRRJ) / The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a collar impregnated with deltamethrin and propoxur to control infestations R. sanguineus and Ctenocephalides felis felis in beagle dogs and to evaluate the safety of treatment by clinical, haematological and biochemical tests, and to assess the dosage of serum cholinesterase in dogs after the treatment with a carbamate. Twenty beagles dogs were selected, divided into two groups: control and treated with a collar containing a combination of deltamethrin 4g and propoxur 12g. Each animal was infested with 50 R. sanguineus ticks (25 males and 25 females) and 100 C. felis felis fleas adults (50 males and 50 females). For the assessment of efficacy, 48 hours after each infestation, the mechanical removal of the parasites was performed. Each animal was infested with fleas and ticks on days -7 (before treatment), -2, +5, +12, +19 and +26. After day 26, every 14 days infestations were performed until the day +208. After this experimental day, the animals were infested with fleas only every 7 days until the termination of the study on day +271. For haematological and biochemical evaluations, blood samples were collected from animals in both groups every seven days until day +14. This experimental day up to +266, samples were collected every 14 days. After removal of the collars (day 274), three collections were made on days: +275, +281 and +288 , to assess the possible occurrence of changes in serum levels of serum enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The acaricides effectiveness of the test product was 100 % on days +7, +21 and +28. The efficacy values were above 90% until day 126. As from day +182, the efficacy reached values lower than 80%. Only after day +168, levels declined below 80%. Pulicide efficiencies of the test product was 100 % on days +21, +28, +42, +56, +98 and +112. The efficacy values were above 90% until day +266, reducing 89.48% on day 273. The animals showed no changes in clinical and laboratory examinations that could be associated with adverse effects from the use of the product tested. It is concluded that a collar containing a combination of deltamethrin 4g and propoxur 12g was effective in controlling R. sanguineus ticks for up to 126 days and control C. felis felis fleas for up to 266 days in addition to proving to be safe for use in dogs. The animals showed no clinical and laboratory changes that could be associated with adverse effects from the use of the product tested, thus demonstrating that the association deltamethrin and propoxur in an impregnated collar is safe for use in dogs. / O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a efic?cia de uma coleira impregnada com deltametrina e propoxur no controle de infesta??es por Rhipicephalus sanguineus e Ctenocephalides felis felis em c?es da ra?a beagle e avaliar a seguran?a cl?nica do tratamento atrav?s de exames cl?nicos, hematol?gicos e bioqu?micos, al?m de avaliar a dosagem da colinesterase s?rica em c?es submetidos ao tratamento com um carbamato. Para isso, foram selecionados 20 animais da ra?a beagle em bom estado sanit?rio, distribu?dos em dois grupos: controle e tratado com uma coleira impregnada com 4g de deltametrina e 12g de propoxur. Cada animal foi infestado com 50 carrapatos R. sanguineus (25 machos e 25 f?meas) e 100 pulgas C. felis felis adultas (50 machos e 50 f?meas). Para a avalia??o da efic?cia, 48 horas ap?s cada infesta??o, foi realizada a remo??o mec?nica dos parasitos. Cada animal foi infestado com pulgas e carrapatos nos dias -7 (antes do tratamento), -2, +5, +12, +19 e +26. Ap?s o dia +26 foram realizadas infesta??es a cada 14 dias at? o dia +208. Ap?s este dia experimental, os animais foram infestados somente com pulgas a cada sete dias, at? o encerramento do estudo, no dia +271. Para avalia??o hematol?gica e bioqu?mica, amostras de sangue foram coletadas dos animais de ambos os grupos a cada sete dias at? o dia +14. Deste dia experimental at? o dia + 266, as coletas foram realizadas a cada 14 dias. Ap?s a retirada das coleiras (dia +274), foram realizadas mais tr?s coletas nos dias +275, +281 e +288, para avaliar a poss?vel ocorr?ncia de altera??es nos n?veis s?ricos da enzima butirilcolinesterase s?rica (BChE). A efic?cia carrapaticida do produto em teste foi de 100% nos dias +7, +21 e +28. Os valores de efic?cia foram superiores a 90% at? o dia+126. Apenas a partir do dia +182, a efic?cia atingiu valores inferiores a 80%. Apenas ap?s o dia +168 os n?veis declinaram abaixo dos 80%. A efic?cia pulicida do produto em teste foi de 100% nos dias +21, +28, +42, +56, +98 e +112. Os valores de efic?cia foram superiores a 90% at? o dia+266, reduzindo a 89,48% no dia +273. Os animais n?o apresentaram altera??es em exame cl?nico e laboratoriais que pudessem ser associados a efeitos adversos provenientes do uso do produto testado. Conclui-se que a coleira impregnada com 4g de deltametrina e 12g de propoxur foi eficaz no controle de carrapatos R. sanguineus por at? 126 dias e no controle de pulgas C. felis felis por at? 266 dias. Os animais n?o apresentaram altera??es cl?nicas e laboratoriais que pudessem ser associadas a efeitos adversos provenientes do uso do produto testado, demonstrando assim que a associa??o deltametrina e o propoxur em uma coleira impregnada ? segura para uso em c?es.

<p>Gustina populacija i sezonske fluktuacije u<br />brojnosti voluharica i mi&scaron;eva (Rodentia:<br />Muridae) predstavljaju najvažniji faktor u<br />diverzitetu, distribuciji i abundanci<br />ektoparazitskih vrsta. Epidemiolo&scaron;ki modeli<br />ukazuju da bi povećanje gustine populacija<br />glodara dovelo i do povećanja gustine<br />populacija ektoparazita zbog postojanja većeg<br />izbora preferentnih habitata (jedinke domaćina).<br />Voluharice i mi&scaron;evi predstavljaju grupu glodara<br />koja ima izuzetan vektorski potencijal za veliki<br />broj vrsta iksodidnih krpelja (Acari: Ixodidae),<br />naročito triksenih i diksenih vrsta. Ako se<br />gustina populacija potencijalnih domaćina<br />(voluharica i mi&scaron;eva) posmatra kao stani&scaron;te za<br />iksodidne krpelje, tada se i meĎu njima mogu<br />uočiti razlike koje u kvalitativnom ili<br />kvantitativnom smislu podržavaju različite<br />gustine populacija krpelja. Većina vrsta glodara<br />zbog svojih &scaron;irokih areala, sezonskih migracija i<br />fluktuacija brojnosti predstavlja jednu vrstu<br />specifičnog &bdquo;epidemiolo&scaron;kog mosta&ldquo; koji je<br />odgovoran za održavanje visokih gustina<br />populacija krpelja u okviru odreĎenih stani&scaron;ta,<br />ali, &scaron;to je jo&scaron; značajnije, i prostorno preno&scaron;enje<br />pojedinih vrsta iksodidnih krpelja van okvira<br />datog habitata. Na osnovu dokazanog<br />vektorskog potencijala glodara, utvrĎen je i cilj<br />istraživanja koji podrazumeva tačno<br />odreĎivanje sezonske fluktuacije i prostorne<br />disperzije voluharica i mi&scaron;eva na odabranim<br />lokalitetima, utvrĎivanje dinamike populacija<br />prikupljenih krpelja iz prirode i brojnosti krpelja<br />prisutnih na domaćinu, vektorsku i<br />ektoparazitsku povezanost glodara i krpelja u<br />odnosu na tip habitata, meteorolo&scaron;ke parametre<br />(sezonu), uzrasnu klasu i pol glodara. TakoĎe će<br />se razmatrati i četiri postavljene radne hipoteze<br />koje se tiču odnosa glodari &ndash; krpelji: (1) broj<br />različitih stadijuma krpelja na individuama<br />domaćina se povećava sa povećanjem starosne<br />grupe (mase tela) domaćina, (2) broj različitih<br />stadijuma krpelja na individuama domaćina se<br />smanjuje sa povećanjem gustine populacije<br />domaćina, (3) veći broj različitih stadijuma<br />krpelja na individuama domaćina se konstatuje<br />na ženkama, nego na mužjacima i (4) najveći<br />broj parazitirajućih stadijuma krpelja se nalazi<br />na glavi domaćina. Tokom četvorogodi&scaron;njeg<br />ispitivanja (od 2008. do 2011. godine) sezonske<br />dinamike glodara na lokalitetima Apatin,<br />Bogojevo, Labudnjača (Kamari&scaron;te) i Čelarevo<br />ukupno je izlovljeno 2.736 jedinki, od kojih je<br />najbrojnija vrsta A. terrestris, zatim slede: A.<br />agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus i C.<br />glareolus. Ukupan broj konstatovanih krpelja<br />iznosio je 257. Krpelji su pripadali sledećim<br />vrstama i razvojnim stadijumima: I. ricinus<br />(larve i nimfe), I. trianguliceps (larve), D.<br />marginatus (larve i nimfe), H. concinna (larve i<br />nimfe) i R. sanguineus (larve i nimfe). U okviru<br />proučavanih ekosistema, glodari imaju značajnu<br />ulogu u održavanju krpeljskih populacija<br />različitih vrsta, omogućavajući i olak&scaron;avajući<br />transstadijalni kontinuitet u ciklusu razvića.<br />Dalje, na osnovu bioekolo&scaron;kih karakteristika, a<br />naročito arela kretanja za vreme perioda<br />intenzivne ishrane i parenja, sve ispitivane vrste<br />glodara predstavljaju i veoma dobre vektore<br />determinisanih vrsta iksodidnih krpelja izmeĎu<br />različitih tipova stani&scaron;ta, obezbeĎujući im<br />prostornu i vremensku disperziju, &scaron;to je od<br />velikog ekolo&scaron;kog, medicinskog i veterinarskog<br />značaja.</p> / <p>The population density and seasonal fluctuations<br />of voles and mice (Rodentia: Muridae) are the<br />most important factors in the diversity,<br />distribution and abundance of ectoparasites.<br />Epidemiological models indicate that an increase<br />in the rodent population density could stimulate<br />an increase in population density of ectoparasites<br />due to the greater variety of preferred habitat<br />(individual hosts). Voles and mice are a group of<br />rodents that have exceptional vector potential for<br />a large number of ixodid ticks species (Acari:<br />Ixodidae), especially tree-host and two-host<br />species. If the densities of the potential host<br />population (voles and mice) are observed as the<br />habitats for ixodid ticks, the qualitative and<br />quantitative differences among them are<br />noticeable, so as different species diversity and<br />population densities of ixodid ticks. Because of<br />the wide ranges of activity, seasonal migrations<br />and population size fluctuations, most rodent<br />species represent a specific type of an<br />&quot;epidemiological bridge&quot; which is responsible<br />for the maintenance of high population density<br />of ticks within certain habitats, but more<br />importantly, the spatial transfer of certain ixodid<br />tick species beyond the boundaries of the certain<br />habitat. Based on the proven vector potential of<br />rodents, the aims of the research were to<br />determine: the seasonal fluctuations and spatial<br />dispersion of voles and mice at selected<br />localities, the dynamics of tick populations<br />collected from nature and obtained from the<br />hosts, vector and ectoparasitic relation between<br />rodents and ticks concerning the type of habitat,<br />meteorological parameters (season), age classes<br />and gender. The four hypotheses will be<br />reviewed: (1) the number of different stages of<br />ticks on the hosts increases with the age group<br />(body mass) of the host, (2) the number of<br />different stages of ticks on the hosts decreases<br />with increasing host population density, (3) a<br />larger number of ticks obtained from the hosts<br />are found on the females than on the males, and<br />(4) the highest number of ticks could be found<br />on the host&rsquo;s head. The four year study (2008 to<br />2011) of seasonal dynamics of voles and mice<br />was conducted at four localities: Apatin,<br />Bogojevo, Labudnjača (Kamari&scaron;te) and<br />Čelarevo. The total of 2.736 rodent specimens<br />were caught. The most numerous species was A.<br />terrestris, followed by: A. agrarius, A .<br />flavicollis, A. sylvaticus and C. glareolus. The<br />total number of identified ticks was 257,<br />belonging to the following species and<br />developmental stages: I. ricinus (larvae and<br />nymphs), I. trianguliceps (larvae), D.<br />marginatus (larvae and nymphs), H. concinna<br />(larvae and nymphs) and R. sanguineus (larvae<br />and nymphs). Within the studied ecosystems,<br />rodents play a significant role in maintaining<br />different species of tick populations, enabling<br />and facilitating transstadial continuity in the life<br />cycles. Furthermore, based on bio-ecological<br />characteristics, especially areal activity during<br />the period of intensive feeding and mating, all<br />observed rodent species were very good vectors<br />of certain ixodid tick species among different<br />types of habitats, providing them spatial and<br />temporal dispersion, which is of great<br />ecological, medical and veterinary importance.</p>

A fragmentação do habitat causa a redução na diversidade de espécies, afetando as relações entre os hospedeiros vertebrados e os parasitos. Neste estudo se verificou se o tamanho do fragmento florestal influencia a diversidade das aves silvestres o que poderia afetar a prevalência dos carrapatos nas aves. As aves foram capturadas através de redes de neblina em 12 áreas florestais: quarto fragmentos pequenos (80-140 ha); quatro grandes (480-1850 ha) e quatro controles, no Parque Estadual Morro do Diabo (~36000 ha). Adicionalmente foram coletados também carrapatos de vida livre através de arrasto com a flanela branca ao longo de trilhas. A infecção de carrapatos por riquétsias foi avaliada atrvés de PCR. No total foram capturadas 1745 aves representando 80 espécies de 24 famílias. 223 (13%) das aves foram encontradas parasitadas por formas imaturas de carrapatos: 1800 larvas e 539 ninfas. A espécie mais comum parasitando aves foi Amblyomma nodosum. Outras espécies: Amblyomma coelebs, Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma calcaratum, e Amblyomma naponense foram achados nas aves esporadicamente. Entre os carrapatos de vida livre, A. cajennense foi a espécie mais comum, seguindo A. coelebs, A. naponense, Amblyomma brasilense e Haemaphysalis juxtakochi. De dois carrapatos A. nodosum foram isoladas bactérias do gênero Rickettsia em células Vero. Os isolados foram caracterizados por PCR e os fragmentos dos genes gltA, htrA sequenciados, e quando possível ompA e ompB. Um isolado foi identificado como Rickettsia bellii e o segundo, como R. parkeri. Dos 174 A. nodosum testados para a presença de riquétsia, 41 (23.6%) foram infectados por R. parkeri e 10 (5.7%) por R. bellii. A diversidade de aves era maior em áreas do controle, mas varias espécies as aves e também dos carrapatos responderam ao fragmentaço em modo diferente. A. nodosum parasitando as aves era mais abundante em áreas pequenas, enquando A. cajennense encontrado nas aves e em vida livre, era mais abundante em áreas do controle e em áreas grandes. Essas differencias de occorencia dos carraptos podem ser relacionadas com a abundância dos hospedeiros principais e fatores ambientais como temperatura e humidade nas áreas amostradas. Isso é um resultado da fragmentação do habitat que ilustra a falta de equilíbrio entre relações de parasitos, hospedeiros e ambiente. / Habitat fragmentation causes reduction in species diversity, affecting the relationships between vertebrate hosts and parasites. We tested if patch size has influence on forest birds diversity, which could affect the prevalence of ticks on wild birds. During two years we conducted a bird survey, using mist net in 12 areas: four small patches (80-140 ha), four large ones (480-1850 ha) and four control areas within the Morro do Diabo State Park (~36000 ha). Free living ticks were also collected through dragging the vegetation. Identified ticks were tested in the laboratory for the presence of Rickettsia. A total of 1,745 birds were captured representing 80 species from 24 families. A total of 223 (13%) birds were found infested by immature forms of ticks: 1,800 larvae and 539 nymphs. The most common tick parazitizing birds was Amblyomma nodosum. Other species, Amblyomma coelebs, Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma calcaratum, and Amblyomma naponense were found sporadically. Among free-living ticks collected in the environment, A. cajennense was the most common followed by A. coelebs, A. naponense, Amblyomma brasilense and Haemaphysalis juxtakochi. From two individuals of A. nodosum ticks, rickettsiae were isolated in Vero cell culture and the isolates were molecularly characterized using the rickettsial genes gltA, htrA, and when possible also ompA and ompB. The first isolate was identified as Rickettsia bellii and the second isolate, was identified as R. parkeri. Among 174 A. nodosum tested, 41 (23.6%) were found to be infected by R. parkeri and 10 (5.7%) were infected with R. bellii strain Pontal. Bird diversity was higher in control and large areas, but various species of birds and also ticks responded in different way for fragmentation. A. nodosum parasitizing birds was more abundant in small patches, while A. cajennense found on birds and in the environment was more abundant in control and large areas. These differences of the occurrence of ticks could be related with the abundance of main vertebrate hosts, or environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity in sampled areas. This is a result of fragmentation of habitat and shows the lack of balance between the environment-host-parasite relationships.

Aujourd'hui, l'émergence ou la réémergence de maladies transmises par les tiques (TBDs) devient un problème majeur. En raison des problèmes générés par l'utilisation des acaricides (pollution, résistance), il est donc urgent d'identifier de nouvelles approches pour contrôler les populations de tiques. Parmi ces stratégies, la vaccination visant des molécules conservées chez les tiques et impliquées dans leur capacité vectorielle, sont devenues particulièrement attractives. En conséquence, l'identification de cibles antigéniques appropriées est un défi majeur pour la mise en œuvre de ces stratégies de contrôle des tiques et des TBDs. Dans le présent travail, l'objectif principal est d'élucider les interactions moléculaires entre I. ricinus et B. henselae, afin d'identifier des molécules qui pourraient représenter des cibles vaccinales contre les tiques et les agents pathogènes qu'elles transmettent. Dans ce but, nous avons identifié, par séquençage à haut débit, des transcrits d'Ixodes ricinus différentiellement exprimés au niveau des glandes salivaires de la tique en réponse à une infection par B. henselae. Dans un second temps, l'implication d'un de ces transcrits surexprimés lors de l'infection dans la transmission de B. henselae, a été évaluée. Enfin, et en premier lieu, nous avons validé l'utilisation de la technique de gorgement artificiel sur membrane pour infecter I. ricinus par B. henselae et évalué l'impact de différents paramètres sur le gorgement des tiques. Les résultats ont montré que la technique de gorgement sur membrane est bien adaptée à l'infection d'I. ricinus par B. henselae en laboratoire, et que la proportion et le poids des tiques gorgées sont diminués lors de l'infection du sang par la bactérie Le séquençage en 454 des glandes salivaires de tiques a généré une banque de référence contenant 24, 539 transcrits, et la comparaison des glandes salivaires d'I. ricinus infectés et non-infectés par B. henselae a montré que 839 et 517 transcrits étaient respectivement significativement surexprimés et sous-exprimés en réponse à l'infection par des bactéries. Parmi les gènes de fonction connue, 161 transcrits correspondent à 9 familles déjà identifiées, quand les autres correspondent à des gènes de fonction inconnue. L'extinction par RNA interférence du gène le plus surexprimé, IrSPI qui appartient à la famille des inhibiteurs de sérine protéase BPTI/Kunitz, a entraîné une réduction de la taille du repas sanguin prit par les tiques (et donc sa descendance) ainsi que du niveau d'infection au niveau des glandes salivaires. En conclusion, cette étude a démontré que la technique de gorgement artificiel des tiques sur membrane est un outil puissant pour étudier les interactions entre les tiques et les agents pathogènes qu'elles transmettent comme B. henselae. Ce travail apporte aussi une nette avancée en termes de données génétiques sur I. ricinus (dont le génome n'est pas séquencé) et sur les interactions moléculaires entre une bactérie et son vecteur. Enfin, ce travail a permis la mise en évidence d'une molécule représentant un candidat vaccinal très prometteur à la fois pour diminuer la population de tiques et lutter contre les agents pathogènes qu'elles transmettent. Dans le futur, et en fonction de la confirmation du rôle des gènes identifiés ici dans la transmission bactérienne, de nombreux candidats vaccins pourront ainsi être évalués, ouvrant alors de nouvelles perspectives dans la lutte contre les tiques et les maladies dues aux agents qu'elles transmettent / Ticks are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of many hosts including mammals, birds and reptiles. After mosquitoes, they are the most important vectors worldwide, and are able to transmit the highest variety of pathogens including virus, bacteria and parasites. Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae), the most common tick species in Europe, is a three-life stage hard tick. It is frequently associated with bites in humans, and transmits several pathogens, including Tick-Borne Encephalitis, Babesia spp., Borrellia spp., Anaplasma spp., and to a lesser extent Bartonella spp. Bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular bacteria associated with a number of emerging diseases in humans and animals. It has been demonstrated that I. ricinus is a competent vector for B. henselae that causes cat scratch disease as well as being increasingly associated with a number of other syndromes, particularly ocular infections and endocarditis. Recently, emergence or re-emergence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) is increasingly becoming a problem. Indeed, and because of the limited success and disadvantages of controlling TBDs via acaricides, new approaches are urgently needed. Therefore, vaccine strategies that target conserved components of ticks that play roles in vector infestation and vector capacity have become particularly attractive. Accordingly, the identification of suitable antigenic targets is a major challenge for the implementation of tick and TBDs control strategies. In the present work, the main objective is to elucidate molecular interactions between I. ricinus and B. henselae in order to identify some targets that may be used as vaccines against ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Two principal points are focused on: primarily, to identify I. ricinus salivary gland differentially expressed transcripts in response to B. henselae infection with next generation sequencing techniques (454 pyrosequencing and HiSeq 2000); secondly, to validate the implication of one of these transcripts in the transmission of B. henselae. For that purpose, and at first, we validated artificial membrane feeding technique for ticks infection by B. henselae and evaluated the impact of several parameters on tick feeding. Results showed that membrane feeding technique is a suitable method to infect I. ricinus with B. henselae and that the proportion and weight of engorged ticks are decreased by B. henselae infection of the blood meal. Transcriptional analysis of the tick salivary glands generated a reference databank containing 24,539 transcripts, and the comparison of B. henselae-infected and non-infected I. ricinus female salivary glands showed that 839 and 517 transcripts were significantly up- and down-regulated in response to bacteria infection, respectively. Among them, 161 transcripts corresponded to 9 groups of ticks salivary gland gene families already described, when the other ones corresponded to genes of unknown function. Silencing the most up-regulated gene IrSPI, which belongs to BPTI/Kunitz family of serine protease inhibitor, resulted in reduction of tick feeding and bacteria load in tick salivary gland. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that artificial-membrane feeding technique is a powerful tool for investigating the interactions between tick and tick-borne pathogens as B. henselae. It also increases the available genomic information for I. ricinus and the knowledge to improve our understanding of the molecular interaction between tick and tick-borne pathogens. At last, it provides a potential vaccine candidate to control tick-borne diseases. In the future, and depending of differentially expressed genes' role confirmation, more and more vaccine candidate will be provided by this work, and the strategy of controlling tick and tick-borne disease will come to a new stage

Medicinsk entomologi

Abstract Fishpond area of Sihcao, Tainan City, approximate 488 hectors, is a part of coastal wetlands of Taiwan. Fishponds can be found almost everywhere in the wetlands, readily forming a fragmented ecosystem. Previous studies on populations of small mammals in coastal wetlands of Taiwan are scarce. Disturbance types found in the study area include straying dogs, working farmers, tillaging of the fishponds, and typhoons, etc, which would probably reduce the abundance of small mammals. The resources such as shelter, vegetation coverage, insects and seeds would increase the abundance of small mammals. The seasonal changes of these environmental factors may in turn affect the population dynamics of small mammals. I monitored the monthly population fluctuation of small mammals and invertebrates in the fishpond habitats, 2008. Six species of small mammals and 106 species of invertebrates were found. The small mammal populations in the Hairy Beggar Ticks region were compared with those within the non-Hairy Beggar Ticks region. More small mammals were found in the Hairy Beggar Ticks region in the sampling period. The vegetation coverage of the former was higher than that of the latter. There was positive correlation between evenness of small mammals and temperature. No differences of the biodiversity of invertebrates were found between the regions in the year. Significant correlation existed between the sunshine duration and the richness of invertebrates. The correlation may be due to the change of photoperiod. There was no significant correlation between the richness of small mammals and that of invertebrates.

ABSTRACT The epidemiological study of intestinal helminths and ticks of Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica) was conducted from June 2001 to May 2002 in Shan-Ping, southern Taiwan. Nine helminths were found, including seven nematodes, Filaroides sp. (prevalence 94.4%), Ancylostoma sp. (77.4%), Uncinaria sp. (35.5%), Trichuris sp. 1 (35.5%), Trichuris sp. 2 (19.3%), Capillaria sp. (6.5%) and Physaloptera sp. (3.2%); one trematode, Platynosomum sp. (74.1%) and one acanthocephalans, Macracanthorhynchus sp. (10%). There was a significant seasonal difference of intensity of the Platynosomum sp. Two species of ticks were observed, Ixodes ovatus (prevalence 55.56%) and Haemaphysalis sp. Seasonal differences were significant in the prevalence and intensity of the Ixodes ovatus infection. The intensities of ticks and helminths in different sampling area were similar. The diet composition was possibly the factor affecting the seasonal change of intensity of the Platynosomum sp. and host availability affecting the seasonal change of ticks, Ixodes ovatus.

Due to climate change, marked developments are tracked in various links of pathogen-host distribution. Markedly increased number of ectoparasites is observed in Central and Eastern Europe. Ticks are blood feeding wide group of arthropods of utmost medical, epidemiological and veterinary significance throughout the world. The ecology of ticks, the outcome of their interactions with their natural environment, is fundamental to the spatial and temporal variation in the risk of infection by tick-borne pathogens. The aim of the study was to investigate: the distribution of Ixodes ricinus ticks and their transmitted parasites prevalence in different biotopes in Lithuania; and to find out factors influencing the activity dynamics of ticks and prevalence of endoparasites. The scientific researches on ectoparasite-endoparasite system (I. ricinus-B.burgdorferi s.l., B.divergens and Ehrlichia sp.) in different biotopes in Lithuania have been carried out for the first time. Also, it was the first investigation of prevalence of ticks (according to development phases and different sexes) in different biotopes and ticks infectious by microparasites. Influence of the main factors (air temperature, precipitations) on seasonal and daily activity changes of ticks have been described. Experiments on ectoparasites and endoparasites have been employed by the procedures on molecular level, including PCR method. As the result of the study the specificity of ticks’ species has been identified... [to full text] / Vykstant klimato atšilimui yra stebimi ryškūs pokyčiai įvairiose parazitas-šeimininkas sistemos grandyse. Pastebimas ektoparazitų skaitlingumo padidėjimas Vidurio ir Rytų Europoje. Erkės yra įvairių zoonozių ir antropozių, kurias sukelia įvairūs virusai, bakterijos ir protistai, pernešėjai. Erkių platinamų ligų sukėlėjų patogeninių bakterijų (Borrelia sp., Ehrlichia sp. ir kt.) ir protistų (Babesia sp. ir kt.) tyrimus turi apimti visus ekologinius lygmenis: patogeninio organizmo, vektoriaus ir rezervuarinio šeimininko. Šio darbo tikslas – nustatyti Ixodes ricinus L. erkių ir jų pernešamų endoparazitų paplitimą skirtinguose biotopuose Lietuvoje bei išaiškinti veiksnius, turinčius įtakos erkių aktyvumui ir endoparazitų paplitimui. Lietuvoje pirmą kartą buvo atlikti ektoparazito - endoparazito sistemos (I. ricinus–B.burgdorferi s.l., B.divergens ir Ehrlichia sp.) tyrimai skirtinguose Lietuvos biotopuose. Buvo įvertintas bendras erkių (pagal vystymosi stadiją ir lytį) paplitimas skirtinguose biotopuose, jų užsikrėtimas mikroparazitais ir išanalizuoti veiksniai, lemiantys erkių aktyvumo sezoninius ir paros kitimus, gausumą ir užsikrėtimą. Ektoparazitų ir endoparazitų tyrimams buvo įdiegtas polimerazės grandininės reakcijos metodas ir identifikuotas erkių rūšinis specifiškumas, nustatyti mikroparazitai bei jų genotipai. Buvo nustatytas mikroparazitų paplitimas skirtinguose Lietuvos biotopuose ir ištirti veiksniai, galintys sąlygoti šį paplitimą. Pirmą kartą Lietuvoje buvo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and its tick vector (Ixodes scapularis) in the Thousand Islands in Ontario, and to assess the effects of various factors, including host populations, temperature, and vegetation, on the distribution of Bb and ticks in this new endemic region. Data were collected via drag sampling and small mammal trapping at 12 sites and multimodel inference was used to evaluate variables. There was inter-island variation in the abundance of ticks and prevalence of Bb in ticks. Important predictors of tick numbers and infection prevalence included deer abundance, distance to the United States, temperature, species richness, and relative mouse abundance. These results will contribute to management strategies to reduce Lyme disease risk in the Thousand Islands and to our understanding of the effects of biodiversity on disease risk. / Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; Parks Canada; Public Health Agency of Canada; Ontario Graduate Scholarship