Detection and Identification of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Ticks Collected in Southern Croatia |
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| Authors: | Volga Punda-Polic Miroslav Petrovec Tomi Trilar Darja Duh Nikola Bradaric Zorana Klismanic Tatjana Avsic-Zupanc |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital, Split, Croatia;(2) Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, Zaloska 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;(3) Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Ljubljana, Slovenia;(4) Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Split, Croatia;(5) Institute for Public Health, Split, Croatia;(6) Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, Zaloska 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia |
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| Abstract: | A total of 197 ticks belonging to four species (Haemaphysalis punctata, Hyalomma marginatum, Rhipicephalus bursa and Dermacentor marginatus) collected in October 2000 from domestic animals in southern Croatia were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by molecular
techniques. Specific sequences of the rickettsiae were detected in 25 (12.7%) of ticks tested. The prevalence of infection
in D. marginatus and H. marginatum ticks was 36.8 and 64.7%, respectively. None of the ticks belonging to the species H. punctata or Rh. bursa were infected. Sequence analysis of amplified products revealed that D. marginatus ticks are infected with Rickettsia slovaca, whereas H. marginatum are infected with R. aeschlimannii. The results of this study extend the knowledge of the geographic distribution of SFG rickettsiae and indicate that at least
two of them, with yet uncertain pathogenicity to humans, are present in ticks in southern Croatia.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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| Keywords: | spotted fever group rickettsiae ticks molecular analysis Croatia |
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