Banca de DEFESA: DANIEL PAIVA BARROS DE ABREU

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
DISCENTE : DANIEL PAIVA BARROS DE ABREU
DATA : 21/11/2019
HORA: 09:00
LOCAL: SL 24
TÍTULO:

Development and evaluation of molecular methods for the characterization of Amblyomma ticks (Koch, 1844 Acari: Ixodidae).

PALAVRAS-CHAVES:

Tick, Amblyomma; Rickettsia; PCR-RFLP; website;

PÁGINAS: 213
GRANDE ÁREA: Ciências Agrárias
ÁREA: Medicina Veterinária
RESUMO:

The study of ticks can be justified from both anthropocentric and ecocentric viewpoints. Traditionally, studies on tick bioecology were conducted to generate information on health risks to humans and/or their production/companion animals, with the principal objective of developing control measures. More recently there has been a resurgence of interest in the study of ticks as indicators of ecosystem health, based on their roles in the control of wild animal populations, as crucial components of food webs and the growing realization that they are among the first organisms to show measurable responses to both biotic and abiotic factors including climate change, uncontrolled urbanization and modifications in land use all of which represent drivers for the emergence of novel health threats. During the last 20 years, a paradigm shift based on a transition from classical morphological characterization to molecular biology-based identifications of ticks and their associated microbes, occurred in virtually all areas of acarological research driven by aspects including the increased availability of affordable reagents and equipment, the reduction of costs associated with nucleotide sequencing services, the enhanced precision offered by molecular analyses, the short timeframe required for training of operators and the ease of transfer or validation of data between studies. Brazilian researchers were no exception to this trend; however, their ability to employ molecular techniques is currently limited due to an on-going crisis in financing of scientific research that commenced in 2015 and which has resulted in the stagnation of virtually all areas of national research and technological development. In response to the obstacles imposed by the continued reality of financial austerity, the research presented in this thesis was elaborated with the objectives of developing, evaluating, validating and promoting the application of economically accessible molecular resources, based on the reverse innovation paradox, to permit the continuation and expansion of bioecological investigations of Brazilian ticks and tick borne pathogens. The principal outcome of this effort was the establishment of highly efficient and cost-effective molecular approaches for the species-level identification of ticks and bacteria of the genus Rickettsia associated with them. These techniques were based on two widely employed molecular methods namely, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP) and represent a robust, reproducible and highly accessible alternative to nucleotide sequencing based species-level identification. The novel methods can be applied to key areas of bioecological research including the distribution of tick populations, determination of host range, detection of associations with potential pathogens, vector competence and determination of the influence of the microbiota upon tick physiology and behavior. In order to disseminate and promote the adoption of these resources, an internet-based platform was designed and will be registered under the trademark of “TickCutter”. The existence of this web-based tool is predicted to result in increased communication between the different stakeholders involved in tick research within Brazil and neighboring countries in South America. Details of the development and evaluation of the systems are reported herein, it is envisaged that the adoption of this technology by other research groups will serve to stimulate an expansion in the study of the bioecology of hard ticks in Brazil and as such will make significant contributions to our comprehension of this important area of scientific study.

MEMBROS DA BANCA:
Presidente - 1354903 - DOUGLAS MCINTOSH
Externo à Instituição - ERIK MACHADO FERREIRA - UFRJ
Externo à Instituição - GILBERTO SALLES GAZÊTA - FIOCRUZ
Interno - 3701492 - HUARRISSON AZEVEDO SANTOS
Externo ao Programa - 1815763 - IRENE DA SILVA COELHO
Interno - 2860277 - ISABELE DA COSTA ANGELO
Externo à Instituição - MARIA HALINA OGRZEWALSKA - FIOCRUZ