"Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis" in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, Brazil
Bruno Dall'Agnol1, Ugo Souza2, Anelise Webster2
1Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Fundação Estadual de Pesquisa Agropecuária (FEPAGRO), Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil; Faculdade de Biociências (FABIO), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Abstract:
"Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis" is an obligate intracellular bacterium of the Rickettsiales order, genetically related to species belonging to the Rickettsia felis group, agents of flea-borne spotted fever. Here we report for the first time the detection of "Ca. R. asemboensis", a flea-associated organism, in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks. It is the first occurrence of this emerging bacterium in Brazil, which increases the geographical distribution of this R. felis-like agent.


