Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Manizales, Caldas 170004, Colombia; Doctorado en Ciencias-Agrarias, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 64b No. 25-65 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 64b No. 25-65 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.
Acta Trop. 2024 Jun;254:107210. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107210. Epub 2024 Apr 9.
Several species of hard ticks, including those of the genera Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, Amblyomma, and Rhipicephalus, are of medical and veterinary importance and have been reported in association with Neotropical wild birds. Colombia, known for its great bird diversity, has 57 confirmed tick species. However, there are few studies on the association between wild birds and ticks in Colombia. The Orinoquia region, a migratory center in Colombia, provides a unique opportunity to study wild bird-tick associations and their implications for tick-borne disease dynamics. Our study, conducted between October and December 2021, aimed to identify hard ticks infesting resident and migratory wild birds in the department of Arauca and to assess the presence of bacteria from the genera Anaplasma, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and piroplasms. A total of 383 birds were examined, of which 21 were infested. We collected 147 ticks, including Amblyomma dissimile (larvae), Amblyomma longirostre (nymphs), Amblyomma mixtum (adults), and Amblyomma nodosum (larvae and nymphs). We did not detect bacterial DNA in the tested ticks; however, piroplasm DNA was detected in ticks from three of the infested birds. Of the 21 bird-tick associations, six are new to the Americas, and interesting documentation of piroplasm DNA in A. longirostre, A. nodosum, and A. dissimile ticks from wild birds in the region. This study provides valuable insights into the ticks associated with wild birds and their role in the dispersal of ticks and pathogens in Colombia, enhancing our understanding of tick life cycles and tick-borne disease dynamics.
几种硬蜱，包括硬蜱属、硬蜱属、硬蜱属和硬蜱属，具有医学和兽医重要性，并与新热带野生鸟类有关。哥伦比亚以其丰富的鸟类多样性而闻名，已确认有 57 种蜱种。然而，关于哥伦比亚野生鸟类与蜱之间的关联的研究很少。奥里诺科地区是哥伦比亚的一个迁徙中心，为研究野生鸟类与蜱的关联及其对蜱传疾病动态的影响提供了独特的机会。我们的研究于 2021 年 10 月至 12 月进行，旨在确定居住和迁徙的野生鸟类中感染阿劳卡省的硬蜱，并评估属于 Anaplasma、Borrelia、Ehrlichia、Rickettsia 和巴贝斯虫属的细菌的存在。共检查了 383 只鸟，其中 21 只被感染。我们收集了 147 只蜱，包括 Amblyomma dissimile（幼虫）、 Amblyomma longirostre（若虫）、 Amblyomma mixtum（成虫）和 Amblyomma nodosum（幼虫和若虫）。我们在测试的蜱中未检测到细菌 DNA；然而，在三只受感染的鸟的蜱中检测到巴贝斯虫属 DNA。在 21 种鸟类与蜱的关联中，有 6 种是在美洲首次发现的，有趣的是，在该地区的野生鸟类中发现了 A. longirostre、A. nodosum 和 A. dissimile 蜱的巴贝斯虫属 DNA。本研究为与野生鸟类相关的蜱提供了有价值的见解，并了解了它们在哥伦比亚蜱和病原体传播中的作用，增强了我们对蜱生命周期和蜱传疾病动态的理解。
