Molecular Detection of Kinetoplastid Species in Ticks and Fleas Associated with Dogs and Humans in Mexico

Abstract

The Trypanosomatidae family encompasses around 24 genera of unicellular protozoans, many of which are transmitted by various hematophagous arthropods, particularly members of the Orders Diptera and Hemiptera. Fleas and ticks-an understudied group of ectoparasites-have been shown to be hosts of a wide and crescent variety of trypanosomatid species. Further, fleas and ticks of companion animals have been particularly neglected in trypanosomatid surveillance despite the proximity to human populations and the anthropophagous habits of many of these arthropods, which can potentially act as vectors of zoonotic trypanosomatids. We aimed to identify the presence, characterize the species, and establish the prevalence of Kinetoplastids, including members of the Trypanosomatidae family, in ectoparasites collected from dogs and humans from Mexico. A total of 537 ectoparasite specimens belonging to six ectoparasite taxa (Amblyomma mixtum, A. tenellum, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Pulex simulans, Rhipicephalus linnaei, and Rh. sanguineus s.s.) were collected from 15 States of Mexico. An 800 bp fragment of the 18S-rDNA gene from kinetoplastids was amplified and sequenced. The presence of two agents (Trypanosoma caninum and Parabodo sp.) was detected in R. linnaei ticks and one (Blechomonas lauriereadi) in the cat flea Ct. felis felis. This is the first record of genetic material of kinetoplastid species in ectoparasites from dogs and humans in Mexico.

Keywords: Blechomonas lauriereadi; Parabodo sp.; Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l.; Trypanosoma caninum; ectoparasites.

Figure 1

Sampling sites of ectoparasites of dogs and humans selected for kinetoplastid molecular detection in Mexico.

Figure 2

Maximum Likelihood inference phylogenetic compress analysis of the selected 16S rDNA partial gene for Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.s. and Rhipicephalus linnaei collected in the present study.

Figure 3

Maximum Likelihood inference phylogenetic compress analysis of the selected 18S rDNA partial gene for several members of the genus Blechomonas. The sequences obtained in the present study are presented in bold and blue.

Figure 4

Maximum Likelihood inference phylogenetic compress analysis of the selected 18S rDNA partial gene for several members of the genus Trypanosoma. The sequences obtained in the present study are presented in bold and orange.

Figure 5

Maximum Likelihood inference phylogenetic compress analysis of the selected 18S rDNA partial gene for several members of the genus Parabodo. The sequences obtained in the present study are presented in bold and red.