[Ticks and associated bacterial zoonoses in Argentina]

This work presents a description of the knowledge on the association between ticks and potentially pathogenic bacterial microorganisms for humans in Argentina to date. The presence of a potentially pathogenic microorganism in a tick is a necessary but not sufficient condition for transmission, as the vector must possess both competence and vectorial capacity. In Argentina, 44 species of hard ticks (family Ixodidae) have been recorded, among which those belonging to the genera Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus are the most relevant species due to their potential capacity for pathogen transmission, parasitism in humans, and geographic distribution. Among the diseases caused by bacterial pathogens, spotted fever caused by Rickettsia (Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, and Rickettsia massiliae) are the only tick-borne diseases with confirmed human cases in Argentina, where Amblyomma sculptum, Amblyomma tonelliae, Amblyomma triste, Amblyomma tigrinum and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu stricto are the vectors involved. Different species and strains of Ehrlichia, including some closely related to Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, have been found in ticks parasitizing humans, indicating a potential risk. Finally, based on the currently available evidence, the vectorial capacity of ticks from the genus Ixodes to transmit pathogenic Borrelia spp. from the Lyme disease group to humans in Argentina is extremely low.