Molecular Detection of Rickettsia and Other Bacteria in Ticks and Birds in an Urban Fragment of Tropical Dry Forest in Magdalena, Colombia.

ABSTRACT: Birds are important hosts in the life cycle of some species of ticks. In Colombia, there are few eco-epidemiological studies of tick-borne diseases; the existing ones have been focused on areas where unusual outbreaks have occurred. This study describes the identification of ticks collected from birds and vegetation, and the detection of bacteria in those ticks and in blood samples from birds in an urban fragment of tropical dry forest in the department of Magdalena, Colombia. Bird sampling was carried out monthly in 2021, and 367 birds, distributed among 41 species, were captured. All collected ticks were identified as Amblyomma sp. or Amblyomma dissimile. The presence of rickettsiae in ticks collected from birds was evaluated by molecular analysis of the gltA, ompA and sca1

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9861851 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature