2024/01/01 by Rachid Koual, Benoı̂t de Thoisy, Xavier Baudrimont +3 · 1 voice
Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Vector-borne infectious diseases #Viral Infections and Vectors #Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/parasite/2024052
openalex publication_date 2024/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Tick-borne Apicomplexa encompass a group of parasites responsible for significant medical and veterinary diseases, including babesiosis, theileriosis, and hepatozoonosis. In this study, we investigated the presence and diversity of tick-borne Apicomplexa in wildlife and ticks inhabiting the Amazon rainforests of French Guiana. To this end, we conducted molecular screening and typing using 18S rRNA sequences on a collection of 1161 specimens belonging to 71 species, including 44 species of wild mammals, five species of passerines, and 22 species of ticks. We characterized eight genovariants of Babesia, Theileria, Hemolivia, and Hepatozoon parasites, some matching known species, while others suggested potential novel species. These parasites were detected in wild mammals, including opossums, sloths, armadillos, porcupines, margays, greater grisons, and ticks, but not in passerines. Finally, similarities with surveys conducted in Brazil highlight the specific sylvatic transmission cycles of South American tick-borne Apicomplexa.