Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile.
<h4>Background</h4>Scrub typhus is a potentially severe infection caused by bacteria of the genus Orientia, endemic in Asia-Pacific and recently discovered in southern Chile. The presented study aimed to determine the prevalence and species richness of rodent-associated trombiculid mites...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011051 |
| _version_ | 1811162604697026560 |
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| author | María Carolina Silva de la Fuente Caricia Pérez Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito Ruth Pérez Cecilia Vial Alexandr Stekolnikov Katia Abarca Thomas Weitzel Gerardo Acosta-Jamett |
| author_facet | María Carolina Silva de la Fuente Caricia Pérez Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito Ruth Pérez Cecilia Vial Alexandr Stekolnikov Katia Abarca Thomas Weitzel Gerardo Acosta-Jamett |
| author_sort | María Carolina Silva de la Fuente |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Scrub typhus is a potentially severe infection caused by bacteria of the genus Orientia, endemic in Asia-Pacific and recently discovered in southern Chile. The presented study aimed to determine the prevalence and species richness of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and their infection with Orientia spp. in different areas of two regions in southern Chile.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>During summer 2020, trombiculid mites were collected from rodents captured in three areas in southern Chile known to be endemic for scrub typhus (Cochamó and Chiloé Island in the Los Lagos Region and Tortel in the Aysén Region). A total of 132 rodents belonging to five species were captured using Sherman-like traps; 89.4% were infested with trombiculids. Mite specimens were morphologically identified and subsequently tested by Orientia-specific qPCR. Six mite species were identified. Among chigger-infested rodents, 33.9% carried Orientia-positive mites; this rate was higher in Tortel (63.8%) than in Cochamó (45.0%) and Chiloé Island (2.0%). The analysis of individual mites (n = 901) revealed that 31.2% of Herpetacarus antarctica samples (n = 202) were positive for Orientia DNA; the prevalence was 7.0% in Paratrombicula neuquenensis (n = 213), 6.9% in Herpetacarus eloisae (n = 144), 3.6% in Argentinacarus expansus (n = 55), and 0% in Paratrombicula goffi (n = 110) and Quadraseta chiloensis (n = 177). The southernmost site (Tortel) showed the highest rates of trombiculid infestation, trombiculid load, and Orientia infection in the captured rodents.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>Our study provides new insights into the trombiculid fauna and prevalence of Orientia in mites collected from wild rodents in southern Chile. Orientia DNA was detected in four of the six mite species. Rates of infestation, mite loads, and Orientia prevalences differed geographically and were highest in the Aysén Region. Our data improve our knowledge on possible vectors of scrub typhus and their distribution in Chile. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:33:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a40c9102015b4b1c8be582891975159a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1935-2727 1935-2735 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:33:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-a40c9102015b4b1c8be582891975159a2023-03-01T05:32:37ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352023-01-01171e001105110.1371/journal.pntd.0011051Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile.María Carolina Silva de la FuenteCaricia PérezConstanza Martínez-ValdebenitoRuth PérezCecilia VialAlexandr StekolnikovKatia AbarcaThomas WeitzelGerardo Acosta-Jamett<h4>Background</h4>Scrub typhus is a potentially severe infection caused by bacteria of the genus Orientia, endemic in Asia-Pacific and recently discovered in southern Chile. The presented study aimed to determine the prevalence and species richness of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and their infection with Orientia spp. in different areas of two regions in southern Chile.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>During summer 2020, trombiculid mites were collected from rodents captured in three areas in southern Chile known to be endemic for scrub typhus (Cochamó and Chiloé Island in the Los Lagos Region and Tortel in the Aysén Region). A total of 132 rodents belonging to five species were captured using Sherman-like traps; 89.4% were infested with trombiculids. Mite specimens were morphologically identified and subsequently tested by Orientia-specific qPCR. Six mite species were identified. Among chigger-infested rodents, 33.9% carried Orientia-positive mites; this rate was higher in Tortel (63.8%) than in Cochamó (45.0%) and Chiloé Island (2.0%). The analysis of individual mites (n = 901) revealed that 31.2% of Herpetacarus antarctica samples (n = 202) were positive for Orientia DNA; the prevalence was 7.0% in Paratrombicula neuquenensis (n = 213), 6.9% in Herpetacarus eloisae (n = 144), 3.6% in Argentinacarus expansus (n = 55), and 0% in Paratrombicula goffi (n = 110) and Quadraseta chiloensis (n = 177). The southernmost site (Tortel) showed the highest rates of trombiculid infestation, trombiculid load, and Orientia infection in the captured rodents.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>Our study provides new insights into the trombiculid fauna and prevalence of Orientia in mites collected from wild rodents in southern Chile. Orientia DNA was detected in four of the six mite species. Rates of infestation, mite loads, and Orientia prevalences differed geographically and were highest in the Aysén Region. Our data improve our knowledge on possible vectors of scrub typhus and their distribution in Chile.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011051 |
| spellingShingle | María Carolina Silva de la Fuente Caricia Pérez Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito Ruth Pérez Cecilia Vial Alexandr Stekolnikov Katia Abarca Thomas Weitzel Gerardo Acosta-Jamett Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| title | Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile. |
| title_full | Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile. |
| title_fullStr | Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile. |
| title_short | Eco-epidemiology of rodent-associated trombiculid mites and infection with Orientia spp. in Southern Chile. |
| title_sort | eco epidemiology of rodent associated trombiculid mites and infection with orientia spp in southern chile |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011051 |
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