Molecular detection of bacteria in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in northern crested caracaras (Caracara cheriway).
Bacterial pathogens of the families Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae are often spread to humans or other animals from bites from infected arthropod hosts. Recently, an increasing number of studies have implicated migratory birds in the circulation of these pathogens through the spread of arthropod vectors. However, few studies have examined the potential for resident bird populations to serve as reservoirs for these zoonoses. In this study, we used nested PCRs of the GroESL and 17 kDa genes to screen for Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae, respectively, in a resident population of the northern crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) from Florida (n=55). Additionally, a small number (n=6) of captive individuals from Texas were included. We identified one individual (1.64%) positive for Rickettsia felis and one (1.64%) positive for Ehrlichia chaffeensis; both these individuals were from Florida. Presence of these pathogens demonstrates that these birds are potential hosts; however, the low prevalence of infections suggests that these populations likely do not function as an ecological reservoir.
['Erwin|John A|JA|', 'Fitak|Robert R|RR|', 'Dwyer|James F|JF|', 'Morrison|Joan L|JL|', 'Culver|Melanie|M|']
D000710:Anaplasmataceae D000712:Anaplasmosis D000818:Animals D001179:Arthropod Vectors D001426:Bacterial Proteins D001717:Birds D018833:Chaperonins D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring D005431:Florida D006801:Humans D008925:Mites D012287:Rickettsiaceae D012288:Rickettsiaceae Infections D015047:Zoonoses
Caracara cheriway Nested PCR Rickettsia felis Ehrlichia chaffeensis Tick-borne disease