Prevalence and infection intensity of Rickettsia massiliae in Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato ticks from Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

Rickettsia massiliae belongs to the spotted fever group and in the New World is commonly associated with the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Herein we investigate the presence of R. massiliae in Rh. sanguineus sensu lato ticks in a location near the Andean foothills (Mendoza, Argentina), to provide a prevalence estimate and to assess the infection intensity of this pathogen. Rickettsia massiliae infection was found in 5.1% of the Rh. sanguineus s.l ticks analyzed, all with high infection intensities. Molecular analysis determined that all R. massiliae-infected Rh. sanguineus s.l. ticks belonged to the temperate lineage.

Keywords: Argentina; Infection intensity; Rhipicephalus sanguineus; Rickettsia; Temperate lineage; Vectorial competence.