MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION OF HEMOTROPIC MYCOPLASMAS IN HUMAN BEINGS, DOGS AND HORSES IN A RURAL SETTLEMENT IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

• Autor(a) principal: Costa Vieira, Rafael Felipe da
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Vidotto, Odilon, Wischral Jayme Vieira, Thallitha Samih, Sa Guimaraes, Ana Marcia, Santos, Andrea Pires dos, Nascimento, Naila Cannes, Rodrigues dos Santos, Nelson Jesse, Martins, Thiago Fernandes, Labruna, Marcelo Bahia, Marcondes, Mary [UNESP], Biondo, Alexander Welker, Messick, Joanne Belle
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652015000400014; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/160878
• topic: Hemoplasma; Mycoplasma haemocanis; 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum'; Real-time PCR

The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of hemoplasmas in a rural Brazilian settlement's population of human beings, their dogs and horses, highly exposed to tick bites; to identify the tick species parasitizing dogs and horses, and analyze factors associated with their infection. Blood samples from 132 dogs, 16 horses and 100 humans were screened using a pan-hemoplasma SYBR green real-time PCR assay followed by a species-specific TaqMan real-time PCR. A total of 59/132 (44.7%) dog samples were positive for hemoplasmas (21 Mycoplasma haemocanis alone, 12 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum' alone and 21 both). Only 1/100 (1.0%) human sample was positive by qPCR SYBR green, with no successful amplification of 16S rRNA or 23 rRNA genes despite multiple attempts. All horse samples were negative. Dogs >1 year of age were more likely to be positive for hemoplasmas (p = 0.0014). In conclusion, although canine hemoplasma infection was highly prevalent, cross-species hemoplasma transmission was not observed, and therefore may not frequently occur despite overexposure of agents and vectors.