Justice of Limeira orders to test capybaras in the city due to spotted fever

The Justice of Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo, summoned the city hall to carry out serological tests on the capybaras that inhabit a public park in the city to detect whether the animals are contaminated with the bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

For fear of the disease, residents ask for the removal of capybaras from the site.

The city of Campinas, which is in the same region, considered endemic for the disease, registers an outbreak of spotted fever that has already caused four deaths this month alone.

The subpoena was issued on the 5th, in a public civil action filed in 2018 by the Association of Residents and Friends of Jardim Aeroporto. At the time, the entity legally requested the removal of the animals that inhabit the Ecological Park of Jardim do Lago, a green area where about 40 capybaras live, alleging the risk of the disease.

The park is open to public visitation and, according to the municipality, has already received an acaricide application and has signs indicating the possible presence of the tick.

In October 2022, Justice had already asked the City Hall for a schedule for carrying out serological tests on rodents. At the time, the Health Department reported that it was studying a strategy to carry out serology in conjunction with environmental agencies.

This Thursday (15), the city hall said that it depends on authorization by the state for the procedure and that there is a request for this license made to the State and Environment Secretariat. According to the municipality, all information was passed on to Justice.

In addition to the death recorded in March, five suspected cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are under investigation in the city. Last year, there were three deaths.

The city hall informed that, when notified of a suspected case, the Division of Zoonoses carries out an investigation to identify the probable site of infection and the acarological survey. There has been no recent record of cases whose site of infection was the park.

Other places in the city, such as Horto Florestal, Lagoa do Bortolan and a green area in Jardim Novo Horizonte have capybaras and potential for the presence of the tick, and are also signposted.

The president of the association, Mariano Freire dos Santos, said that the objective of the action is to remove the capybaras to another location. “Our suggestion is that they be taken to Horto Florestal, as there is more space there. Parque do Lago is the only leisure area in the neighborhood, it has a walking track and receives up to a thousand people a weekend, including many children. We are afraid they will catch Rocky Mountain spotted fever, as has already happened here and is happening in other cities.”

According to him, the claim will be reiterated to the city hall at a meeting of the Municipal Health Council, of which he is a member, on the 27th.

The Secretariat for the Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics (Semil) reported that, in 2019, the city of Limeira filed a request for authorization for the management of capybaras. Additional documents were requested to the project presented at the time, and the last complementation of the municipality was carried out at the end of last month. The data are under analysis and, if they are correct, Semil will issue the management authorization within the legal deadline.

According to the folder, it is important to keep visitors and park professionals informed about the risk of transmission of spotted fever, through informational signs and weeding of grass vegetation to reduce tick shelters.

“The Secretariat monitors, together with the municipal and state health authorities, the monitoring of star ticks in the locality”, he said, in a note.

The problem is the tick

For the president of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine (SBMT), infectologist Júlio Croda, the most effective measure to avoid Rocky Mountain spotted fever is to manage the star tick, not the capybara.

“It is possible to treat some areas to eliminate the tick, as well as take care of the horses that are in those areas, thus obtaining control of the vector. What does not exist is the possibility of eliminating the capybaras. Soon they will want to kill capybaras all over Brazil. This does not solve it, because there are other animals that can be parasitized, such as horses, ”he said.

He pointed out that the region of Campinas, where the current outbreak is taking place, is conducive to the appearance of bacteria of the genus Ricketssia. “This region of the state of São Paulo, as well as other states in the Southeast, has particular conditions of temperature, humidity and environment that favor the bacteria. We have a large population of capybaras in urban public parks in Campo Grande (MS), for example, but there are no cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever because the conditions are not good for the bacteria.”

According to the specialist, the measures announced by the city of Campinas and already taken by the city of Limeira are on the right track. “It is necessary to map and signal the places where there are ticks, inform residents and visitors to avoid these places and, if they still pass by them, be very attentive to the tick on the body. As soon as a symptom appears, the person should immediately seek medical help, informing that he was in a place with a tick.”