Amblyomma scalpturatum Neumann, 1906 (Acari: Ixodidae): confirmation in Acre State, Brazil, and description of parasitism in a human.

André De Abreu Rangel Aguirre,Jansen Fernandes Medeiros,Renato Andreotti,Vinícius Da Silva Rodrigues,Marcos Valério Garcia,Ivaneide Nunes Da Costa,Bárbara Guimarães Csordas

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612019048

Abstract

Amblyomma scalpturatum is a tick species that is unique to South America. It is commonly associated with the Amazon biome and has been reported in some Brazilian states. This tick species exhibits host specificity: it parasitizes tapirs and suidae. Its role in transmitting pathogens to humans is still unknown. Amblyomma scalpturatum is known to be a human-biting tick; however, there is only one report showing that humans make suitable hosts for this species. The knowledge of tick fauna is lacking in the Acre State. This study collected free-living ticks with the aim of finding new records in Acre State. Collections were carried out in Amazon forest fragments in Rio Branco municipality. An A. scalpturatum specimen was identified and submitted sequencing of the ITS-2 gene. This study presents the first molecular confirmation of A. scalpturatum collected in situ in Acre State, North Region, Brazil. This study also presents the first record of a successfully completed feeding by an A. scalpturatum nymph on a human host in the North region of Brazil. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the complete life cycle of this tick species, its seasonality in the environment, and its relationship to pathogens and competence to transmit them.

Highlights

At present, 73 tick species have been described in Brazil: 47 species belong to the Ixodidae family and 26 to the Argasidae family (NAVA et al, 2014; MARTINS et al, 2014, 2016; BARROS‐BATTESTI et al, 2015; LABRUNA et al, 2016; WOLF et al, 2016; MICHEL et al, 2017; MUÑOZ-LEAL et al, 2017, 2018)
Ticks are the main vectors of several pathogens (JONGEJAN & UILENBERG, 2004), including the intracellular bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii, which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Brazilian spotted fever
This study presents the first record of an A. scalpturatum nymph successfully feeding on a human in the Brazilian North region (Rondônia State) - an accidental event experienced by a collaborator on this study

Summary

Introduction

73 tick species have been described in Brazil: 47 species belong to the Ixodidae family and 26 to the Argasidae family (NAVA et al, 2014; MARTINS et al, 2014, 2016; BARROS‐BATTESTI et al, 2015; LABRUNA et al, 2016; WOLF et al, 2016; MICHEL et al, 2017; MUÑOZ-LEAL et al, 2017, 2018). Brazilian spotted fever is a highly lethal zoonosis that has been reported in Brazil since the 1920s (LABRUNA, 2009). Acre State is in the North Region of Brazil. This region is totally covered by the Amazon biome and contains a vast amount of biodiversity (CALOURO, 1999). According to Gruhn (2017), information about the ixodofauna in Acre is lacking, this author has recently reported the presence of five new tick species in Acre: four of the genus Amblyomma and the species Dermacentor nitens (Neumann, 1897)

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