Report ofin a House in aCirculation Area.

Abstract

is a tick that has medical and veterinary importance as, in Brazil, it is the main vector of, a disease affecting humans. The presence of ticks was observed outside a residence in a peri-urban area of the Atlantic Forest region in Brazil, as well as on two dogs that lived there. Eighteenadults were seen walking on a cemented pillar at the porch of the house and sheltering inside the pillar's crevices; meanwhile on the dogs, onlylato ticks were found. It is hypothesized that as the dogs circulated in the forest regions, they might have carriedto the residence. This situation highlights the role of dogs as possible carriers of Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) tick vectors into human habitation. Strategies for the prevention and control of BSF should consider the hypothesis that ticks infected withcan be harbored in human dwellings in peri-urban areas.