Spotted fever group Rickettsia and Borrelia sp. cooccurrence in Amblyomma sculptum in the Midwest region of Brazil.

More than 70 tick species are found in Brazil, distributed over five genera and including main vectors of infectious disease agents affecting both animals and humans. The genus Amblyomma is the most relevant for public health in Brazil, wherein Amblyomma aureolatum, Amblyomma ovale and Amblyomma sculptum have been incriminated as vectors of Rickettsia and Borrelia pathogens. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Rickettsia spp. and Borrelia spp. in ticks in the Brazilian mid-western savannah. DNA extraction, PCR for Borrelia spp. (flgE gene) and Rickettsia spp. (ompA and gltA genes) and subsequent sequencing were performed. A total of 1875 ticks were collected and identified as A. sculptum except for two Amblyomma coelebs ticks. Molecular evidence for Borrelia spp. and Rickettsia parkeri was found in A. sculptum. This is the first molecular evidence for R. parkeri in A. sculptum ticks in the Midwest region and Borrelia spp. circulating in a tick of the Amblyomma genus in Brazil.