Study of chelicerae in the tick Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius 1787) by scanning electron microscopy

Chelicerae de Amblyomma cajennense foram examinados em microscopia de varredura. Esta técnica mostrou detalhes não evidenciáveis ao poder de resolução do microscópio ótico.

Detecção de riquétsias em carrapatos do gênero Amblyomma (Acari: Ixodidae) coletados em parque urbano do município de Campinas, SP

O Município de Campinas situa-se em região endêmica para febre maculosa brasileira do Estado de São Paulo, onde vários casos desta doença vem ocorrendo. Capivaras têm sido associadas ao ciclo dessa riquetsiose por apresentarem sorologia positiva e serem hospedeiras de carrapatos Amblyomma spp principais vetores da doença. Carrapatos foram coletados no parque urbano do Lago do Café, Campinas, SP, local associado a casos humanos suspeitos de febre maculosa brasileira, sobre a vegetação e das capivaras ali presentes, e pesquisados quanto à presença de riquétsias pela reação em cadeia da polimerase e pelo teste de hemolinfa. Adultos de Amblyomma cajennense e Amblyomma cooperi albergavam Rickettsia bellii, não patogênica, identificada pela análise das seqüências de nucleotídeos do gene gltA, porém, não foram constatadas riquétsias do Grupo da Febre Maculosa. Estes resultados associados à ausência de um isolado de riquétsias do Grupo da Febre Maculosa de capivaras indicam que seu papel, enquanto reservatório, necessita de maior investigação.

Pesquisa de Rickettsia spp em carrapatos Amblyomma cajennense e Amblyomma dubitatum no Estado de São Paulo

Foi pesquisada a presença de riquétsias em 3.545 carrapatos Amblyomma cajennense e 2.666 Amblyomma dubitatum. Através do teste de hemolinfa, reação em cadeia pela polimerase e isolamento de rickettsia em cultivo celular, todos os Amblyomma cajennense foram negativos, sendo que 634 (23,8%) Amblyomma dubitatum mostraram-se infectados com Rickettsia bellii.

Parasitismo em humano por Amblyomma sp (Acari: Ixodidae), na cidade de Recife, estado de Pernambuco

INTRODUÇÃO: Os ixodídeos pertencentes ao gênero Amblyomma são encontrados no Brasil, sendo de grande importância em Saúde Pública por representarem risco na transmissão de patógenos. MÉTODOS: Este trabalho relata um caso de parasitismo em humano por Amblyomma sp, ocorrido na Cidade de Recife, Pernambuco. RESULTADOS: O parasitismo foi observado em uma senhora onde os ectoparasitos encontravam-se fixados em suas pernas e pés. CONCLUSÕES: Este tipo de achado é incomum e constitui o primeiro relato do parasitismo em humano por Amblyomma sp, no Estado de Pernambuco.

Poderá o carrapato transmitir a lepra?: isolamento e cultura dum bacilo acido-álcool resistente de sedimento de "Amblyomma cajennense" capturado em leproso: 2ª nota

In this 2nd note upon the possibility of transmission of human leprosy by ticks, the A. relates his stepps to obtain the collaboration of his colleagues working in leprosaria in various States of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay in such studies. Firstly the A. describes the positive results of examination of sediment of ticks, the cattle tick Boophilus microplus (Canestrini, 1888), received from Paraná (Leprosário São Roque) , which were put on active lepers, two of them sucking during 9 days and one during 7 days. Two out of three were killed for examination and were very strongly positive for acid-fast bacilli. A series of tubes of Loewenstein medium was smeared with the sediment of such ticks. Secondly the A. relates his personnal experiment, carried out in Rio de Janeiro, trying to infect normal ticks in lepers. The experiment with Boophilus microplus was negative and was twicely positive the experiment with Amblyomma cajennense Fabricius, 1794. The experiment is being in progress and will be continued in other places of Brazil. Finally, after being given the general characteristics of Boophilus microplus, the A. describes the non-chromogenic culture of a acid-fast bacillus isolated by him from sediment of ticks (Amblyomma cajennense) captured in lepers from Colônia Santa Isabel (Minas gerais), which parasitism was spontaneous. The first isolation was obtained in Loewenstein medium after 62 days incubation at 37°C. The culture is pure and the bacillus is permanent acid-fast. The plate1, in full color, represents this culture in its four generations. The colonies are pearl-white in color, dry, elevated and rough, developing slowly and beginning as white pinhead points scattered upon the surface of the medium. The culture is not yet rich enough to be inoculated into laboratory animals, which will be done when possible.

Poderá o carrapato transmitir a lepra?: mais quatro amostras de culturas de bacilos acido-alcool resistentes obtidas de carrapatos (2 de "Amblyomma cajennense"e 2 de "Boophilus microplus") infectados em leprosos do Paraná: 3ª nota

The AA. carried out experiments in the leprosarium São Roque, State of Paraná, South Brazil, to verify if the cattle tick Boophilus microplus could be experimentally infected in lepers, which was true. The AA. Tried also to be ascertained if Boophilus microplus and Amblyomma cajennense could change of hosts during their feedings which was true, both ticks continue feeding, the last species for many days, after being transferred from one to another leper. The junior A. describes in full their experiments and also a dermatites caused by tick bites. The senior A. brought to Rio de Janeiro most of the infected ticks for examination, which revealed a very high positivity. He smeared the sediments of lots of both species of ticks in Loewenstein medium and after a variable periode of incubation at 37° C. he obtained four new samples of cultures of acid-fast organisms, two from Amblyomma cajennense and two from Boophilus microplus. These cultures are being studied and will be inoculated into laboratory animals. The senior A. inoculated new batches of white rats with sediments of many ticks infected in lepers. Various hypotheses of both previous notes upon the subject now are verified facts. The A. is accumulating facts to draw the conclusions in the future. He also suggested the leprosy workers in the interior of the country to cooperate with him in such important studies, specially in the habitat of lepers in the rural zones of various States.

Infecção experimental de carrapatos (Amblyomma cajennense) em ratos com lepra Stefansky

The A. succeeded, after various experiments, to infect ticks (Amblyoma cajennense) with STEFANSKY bacillus, upon feeding them in rats suffering from murine leprosy, in advanced stages. The A. thinks that will be ease to transfer the sickness from rat to rat by means of inoculation of triturate of infected ticks, as did MARCHOUX with Laelaps echdninus.

Notas de Ixodologia: II - uma nova espécie do gênero Amblyomma e uma nova espécie do gênero Ixodes (Acari Ixodidae)

A new tick, Amblyomma parkeri, n. sp., is described as a parasite of Coendu sp. from S. Paulo, Brazil. Female holotype, nymph and larva are described (Figs. 2 e 3). The n. sp. differs completly from Koch's species Amblyomma longirostre, the common parasite of the Erethizotidae. Standard data for measures of the female dorsal scutum ixodidae are proposed as follows (fig. 1): PA = Antero-posterior; PB = Postero-basal; PM = Postero-median; TT = Transversal; OO = Inter-ocular; OT= Occulo-transversal; SS = Inter-scapular; CC = Cervical; PT = Postero-transversal; ST = Scapulo-transversal; NPT = Normal to the postero-transversal; NST = Normal to the scapulo-transversal. In the female holotype the standard data are as follows: PA = 2.00 mm; PB = 2.26 mm; PM = 1.10 mm; TT = 2.20 mm; OO = 2.26 mm; SS = 0,84 mm; CC = 0.63 mm; SC = 0.12 mm; NPT = 0.20mm; STN = 0.1 mm. Peritrema 0.80 x 0.42 mm with a narrow postero-internal angle and a large, elongated macula. Coxa I with two short spines and all other coxae with only one shorter spine, shortest in coxa IV. Hypostoma spatulated with formula 3/3. Gnathosoma 1.42 mm long and basis 0.63 mm long by 0.84 greatest wide. Palpi with smoth external surface, 1.00 mm long. Type lot No. 4458 from Cotia, S. Paulo, Brazil; in the acarological collection of the Escola Paulista de Medicina, S. Paulo. Ixodes didelphidis, n. sp., differing from Ixodes loricatus Neumann by the shape of the peritremata (figs. 4 a 5) of the male and female and by the number of the punctations in this organ is described form Didelphidae, Muridae and Cavidae. Twenty eight lots were obtained from Anápolis, Goiás, Brasil, where I. loricatus is subtituded by the n. sp. under description. Comparison with NEUMANN'S types of I. loricatus was possible through the courtesy of Prof. A. BRIZARD from Toulouse, who kindly loaned NEUMANN'S material. Female cotypes N° 40 and male allotype N° 531 in the Collection of Ixodidae of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute.

Notas de Ixodologia: IV - considerações sôbre a nomeclatura de algumas espécies do gênero Amblyomma do Brasil e países limítrofes (Acari: Ixodidae)

An attempt is made to clear the nomenclature of some netropical species of the genus Amblyomma. Amblyomma myrmecophagium Schulze, 1933 and Amblyomma brasiliense guyanense Floch et Abonnenc, 1933, are synonyms of Amblyoma scalpturatum Neumann, 1906. Amblyomma superbrasiliense Schulze, 1941, is cospecific with Amblyomma incisum Neumann, 1906. Amblyomma ypsilophorum Schulze, 1941, is a synonym of Amblyomma cooperi Nuttal et Warburton, 1907.

Notas de ixodologia: V - A propósito da validade de algumas espécies do gênero Amblyomma do continente americano (Acari: Ixodídoe)

a) The species Amblyomma tapiri Tonelli Rondelli, 1937 and Amblyomma finitimum Tonelli Rondelli, 1937 are synonymous with Amblyomma cajennense Fabricius, 1787. Both species are based in differences of size, colour, punctations and form of the dorsal shield, presence or absence of ventral plates, size, form and direction of the spine of coxa IV. Such differences prouved to be only variations frequently observed in large lots or in cultures of Amblyomma cajennense. The revalidation of Koch's species Amblyomma tenellum Koch, 1844 and Amblyomma mixtum Koch, 1844 proposed by TONELLI RONDELLI as also of Amblyomma sculptum Berlese, 1888 and Amblyomma versicolor Nuttal et Warburton, 1908 cannot be accepted by the same reasons. b) Amblyomma beccari Tonelli Rondelli, 1939 and Amblyomma latepunctatum Tonelli Rondelli, 1939 are cospecific with Amblyomma scalpturatum Neumann, 1899 the same being true for Amblyomma myrmecophagium Schulze, 1935 and for Amblyomma brasiliense var. guianense Floch et Abonnenc, 1940, as previously stated. c) Amblyomma tasquei Floch et Abonnenc, 1940 is a good species but synonym with Amblyomma romitii Tonelli Rondelli, 1939 which has priority. d) Amblyomma curruca Schulze, 1936 is a synonym of Amblyomma parvum Aragão, 1908. e) Amblyomma deminutivum Neumann, 1899 represents a variation of Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844, a species whose internal spine of coxa IV may be poorly developed or even absent. f) Amblyomma nigrum Tonelli Rondelli, 1939 prouved to be synonym with Amblyomma paccae Aragao, 1911 the type representing a blackish specimen of the later species. g) Amblyomma brimonti Neumann, 1913 is a synonym of Amblyomma humerale Koch, 1844.

Notas de ixodologia: VI - Descrição da fêmea de Amblyomma Multipunctum, Neumann 1899 e redescrição do macho (Acari: Ixodídae)

The female of Amblyomma multipunctum Neumann, 1899 is described for the first time, the species being easily recognized by the unusual formula 5/5 in the female's hypostoma, the formula of the male's being 4/4. A redescription of the male is presented.

Notas de ixodologia: IX. O complexo ovale do gênero Amblyomma

It was impossible to confirm either WARBUTON's conservative nor TONELLI RONDELLI's opposite belief on the number of valid species after studying many lots of ticks of the ovale group, mainly from Brazil. Two species are recognized: Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844 and Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772), corresponding respectively to A. fossum Neumann, 1898 and A. stratum Koch, 1844. A list of synonyms is presented. Both species are redescribed and intraspecific morphological variation show to be the cause of the multiplication of species by those working with insufficient material. Color plates of both species are presented and hosts and localities of captures are recorded.

Structure of the salivary glands of the unfed female tick Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius) (Acarina: Ixodidae)

Acini in in the salivary glands of female tick specimens of Amblyomma ajennense unfed at both postnymphal and adult phases, were studied. The salivary glands are consisted by three acini, one agranular and two granular. The agranular acini are directly attached to the anterior portion of the main salivary duct, consisting of cells without valve. A relatively large, clear, central cell occupies most of the alveolar midsection. The central cell is in contact with the acini lumen. Granular acini consist of approximately seven to fourteen cells (type II acini) or seven to sixteen (type III acini). The type II acini have three types of granular cells ("a", "b" and "c") and valve; the type III acini have another three types of granular cells ("d", "e" and "f") also presenting a valve.

Structure of the salivary glands of the unfed male tick Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius) (Acarina: Ixodidae)

Acini in the salivary glands of unfed male Amblyomma cajennense of different ages, were studied. The salivary glands consist of one agranular and three granular acini types. The agranular acini are directly attached to the medial and anterior portion of the main salivary duct, and to some branches of the secondary ducts. A large, clear, central cell occupies the centre and this cell is in contact with the acinar lumen. There is no valve to the lumen. Granular acini consist of approximately six to fourteen cells (type II acini) or eight to thirteen (type III acini). The type II acini have three types of granular cells ("a", "b" and "c") and a valve: the type III acini have three types of granular cells ("d", "e" and "f" and a valve.