ABSTRACT
Neorickettsia risticii is the causative agent of Potomac Horse Fever, a severe febrile disease affecting horses, transmitted by trematodes species with a complex life cycle. A total of 30 insectivorous bats (Brazilian free-tailed bat Tadarida brasiliensis) were analyzed by PCR for presence of genus Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia and Rickettsia. Three samples showed positive reactions for genus Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Neorickettsia, and the sequences were 99.67% identical to Neorickettsia risticii. The role of bats in the life cycle of N. risticii has yet to be elucidated; however bats may be reservoirs for this bacterium. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of N. risticii in Argentina.
Subject(s)
Animals , Horses/microbiology , Neorickettsia risticii/isolation & purification , Chiroptera/microbiology , Anaplasma , EhrlichiosisABSTRACT
La brucelosis canina, causada por Brucella canis, provoca epididimitis, atrofia testicular y esterilidad en los perros, mientras que en las hembras el síntoma principal es el aborto. La transmisión al hombre puede ser por contacto con el semen, orina, y/o fetos abortados de animales infectados. El presente estudio de tipo observacional de corte transversal, se realizó en caninos de barrios y asentamientos con alto índice de necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI) en 8 áreas de la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Se estudiaron 219 perros, 184 hembras y 35 machos, que fueron negativos a la prueba de aglutinación con antígeno tamponado (BPAT), que descartó la infección con especies lisas del género Brucella. Sedetectaron anticuerpos anti-B. canis en 16 perros (7.3%), 9 hembras y 7 machos, este último dato es relevante ya que la orina de los machos es considerada uno de los medios de diseminación de la infección. Aunque sólo se pudieron tomar hemocultivos a 175 animales, en 3 (2 hembras y un macho) se aislaron B. canis. Sólo 3 de los dueños de los perros positivos accedieron al diagnóstico serológico y dos resultaron positivos. Destacamos que la prueba de inmunodifusión en gel de agar (IGDA) ha demostrado ser poco sensible, detectó sólo uno de los 16 casos positivos y ninguno de los tres confirmados por aislamiento. Concluimos que en las áreas estudiadas el hallazgo de perros serológicamente positivos y el aislamiento de B. canis en 3 casos, son indicadores del riesgo en el que se encuentra la salud de la población expuesta.
Canine brucellosis, caused by Brucella canis, provokes epidydimitis, testicular atrophy and sterility in male dogs, while in females the major symptom is miscarriage. Transmission to humans may be through contact with semen, urine and/or aborted fetuses of infected animals. Our study, observational and cross-sectional, focused on dogs in lower class neighborhoods and slums with a high rate of unmet basic needs (UBN) in 8 areas of the city of Buenos Aires. We studied 219 dogs: 184 females and 35 males, that tested negative to the buffered plate antigen test (BPAT), which ruled out infection with smooth species of Brucella. We detected anti-B. canis antibodies in 16 dogs (7.3%): 9 females and 7 males, relevant data since the urine of males is considered one of the vectors for the spread of the infection. Although we could run blood cultures on only 175 animals, we isolated B. canis in 3 (2 females and 1 male). Only 3 of the owners of dogs that tested positive consented to a serological diagnosis and two of them were positive. We highlight that the agar gel immunodiffusion test (IGID) proved to have low sensitivity, having detected only one of the 16 positive cases and none of the three confirmed by isolation. We conclude that in the areas studied, the detection of serologically positive dogs and the isolation of B. canis in 3 cases are indicators of the health hazard for the population exposed to it.