Spotted fever group rickettsioses are emerging diseases. In some of these diseases, domestic dogs act as sentinels. Canine serological studies have demonstrated that rickettsial dispersion is concentrated in rural areas, seroprevalence being higher where human rickettsioses are endemic. In Rio de Janeiro, the Atlantic forest vegetation has been devastated by urbanization. In this context, we aimed to detect Rickettsia spp. in urban areas of the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Sera from 130 dogs were tested by Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay, and ticks collected from these dogs were tested by polymerase chain reaction. We found the rate of serological reactions against R. rickettsii and R. parkeri in our study area to exceed those of rural and non-endemic areas, highlighting the importance of dogs as urban sentinels. The possibility of contact with opossums and capybaras increased the chances of exposure to Rickettsia spp., reinforcing the hypothetical link between the landscape and the rickettsial wild cycle. Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato was the tick most frequently observed. PCR-positive samples showed similarity with R. rickettsii and R. felis, an emerging pathogen rarely reported from ticks. We observed that rickettsiae circulate in urban places and ticks from indoor environments, which may be involved in bacterial epidemiology.

Centro de Ciências da Saúde Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro UFRJ Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil

Centro de Inovação em Biodiversidade e Saúde Fundação Oswaldo Cruz Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil

Departamento de Epidemiologia e Saúde Pública Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro UFRRJ Seropédica RJ Brasil

Departamento de Saúde Coletiva Veterinária e Saúde Pública Faculdade de Veterinária Universidade Federal Fluminense UFF Niterói RJ Brasil

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University Vinicna Prague Czech Republic

Pós graduação em Medicina Veterinária Clínica e Reprodução Animal Faculdade de Veterinária Universidade Federal Fluminense UFF Niterói RJ Brasil

References provided by Crossref.org

Culture Isolate of Rickettsia felis from a Tick