A human case of spotted fever caused by Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest and its association to the tick Amblyomma ovale.

BACKGROUND: Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest has emerged in Brazil during the last 10 years, with three laboratory-confirmed human cases. While these cases were epidemiologically associated with the tick Amblyomma ovale, in none of them the tick specimens that bit the patients could be identified. RESULTS: We report a clinical case of spotted fever rickettsiosis that was acquired in an Atlantic forest area in Bahia state, northeast Brazil. The case was determined to be caused by R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest, based on molecular analysis of the crust removed from the tick bite site (inoculation eschar) of the patients' skin. DNA extracted from the crust yielded partial sequences of three rickettsial genes (gltA, ompA and ompB), which were 99-100% identical to R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest. The tick specimen that was attached to patient skin was identified as a female of A. ovale. CONCLUSIONS: We report the fourth confirmed case of spotted fever rickettsiosis caused by R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest, providing to our knowledge for the first time, direct evidence of R. parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest transmission by A. ovale.

Estudo descritivo comparativo da anatomia do músculo tensor da fáscia lata em macaco prego (Sapajus apella) e canídeos neotropicais / Comparative anatomy of the fascia lata tensor muscle in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella) and neotropical canides

A Anatomia comparativa vem se destacando nos tempos, como recurso que permite a avaliação da evolução de determinadas espécies, evidenciando suas adaptações ao meio em que vive. Com a intervenção humana, no bioma do cerrado diversas espécies entraram ou se encontram em vias de entrarem em risco de extinção sem nem ao menos terem a sua biologia estudada. Este trabalho visa descrever e comparar a anatomia do músculo tensor da fáscia lata de macaco-prego e canídeos neotropicais. Para tanto, foram utilizados dois espécimes de cada grupo taxonômico: macacoprego; raposa-do-campo; cachorro-do-mato e lobo-guará, comparando os resultados encontrados entre si, com a literatura humana e veterinária já bem estabelecidas. Os animais foram fixados em solução aquosa de formol a 10%, e dissecados sob técnicas usuais de dissecação utilizadas em Anatomia macroscópica, seguido de foto documentação. O músculo tensor da fáscia lata não apresenta divergências entre as espécies estudadas, possuindo formato aproximadamente triangular e localização na parte proximal da face lateral da coxa, constituído por uma parte cranial e outra caudal. As principais diferenças estão relacionadas, com o porte físico-postural de cada grupo, certamente atrelado ao modo de vida.

The comparative anatomy has been assuming an important role during the last decades as a tool that allows evaluatingthe evolution of certain species, showing their adaptations to the environment they live in. Due to human intervention in the cerrado biome, several species have been or are about to be endangered without even having their biology studied. This study aimed to describe and compare the anatomy of the Fascia Lata Tensor muscle in capuchin monkeys and neotropical canides. For such purpose, two specimens of each taxonomic group (capuchin monkey, field fox; forest dog and maned wolf) were used. The obtained results were compared among the studied species and discussed with the human and veterinary literature data, which are already well established. As the focus of this study was on the descriptive anatomy rather than on the statistical data, the dissection of a larger number of animals was not required. The pieces were fixed in 10% formalin aqueous solution, using dissection routine techniques in macroscopic anatomy. Next, the pieces were analyzed, described and photographed. Regarding the shape and location the fasciae latae tensor muscle presented no major differences, having an approximately triangular shape, locating in the proximal part of the thigh lateral side and comprising a cranial portion and another caudal one, both fleshy. The main differences were related to the postural-physical size of each group, certainly linked to the lifestyle.