Aspectos ecoepidemiológicos da febre maculosa brasileira na região do médio Paranapanema, estado de São Paulo

Abstract

Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), caused by Rickettsia spp. bacteria is a tick-borne transmitted disease, mainly Amblyomma spp. Over the years, BSF has led to a severe and highly lethal infection in Brazil, more frequently in the State of São Paulo. The current study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological aspects of BSF and the acarological investigation in the Middle Paranapanema River region, western São Paulo state, based on BSF cases reported to the Disease Notification Information System (SINAN) between 2007 and 2021. The gathered informations were ploteed and case distribution were mapped. Uni and multivariate (logistic regression) analysis were performed to evaluate the risk factor for BSF. A total of 74 positive cases out of 1138 notifications, in 16 municipalities. A high level of lethality was observed in the studied region (68.9%). Amblyomma sculptum was the most frequently tick observed in the acarological investigation. Logistic regression revealed a higher risk to BSF in people who lived in rural areas. According to the plotted maps, two BSF clusters were observed in the region. In addition, an area with no case notification was verified among the two cluster. Our results reinforce the importance of educative programs to reduce the access of people to local infested by ticks, beyond the retraining of healthcare professionals in campaigns to anticipate the distribution and mortality of BSF across the region.