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Zoonoses Public Health 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response, Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Endemic zoonoses, such as Q fever and spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiosis, are prevalent in South Africa, yet often undiagnosed. In this study, we reviewed the demographics and animal exposure history of patients presenting with acute febrile illness to community health clinics in Mpumalanga Province to identify trends and risk factors associated with exposure to Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, and infection by SFG Rickettsia spp. Clinical and serological data and questionnaires elucidating exposure to animals and their products were obtained from 141 acutely febrile patients between 2012 and 2016. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019 28;9. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Neuroinflammation Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

There are 17 human-biting ticks known in Australia. The bites of , and can cause paralysis, inflammation, and severe local and systemic reactions in humans, respectively. Six ticks, including , and may transmit , or subsp. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Dec 27;11(1):670. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Biodiversity Research Cluster, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.

Background: Coxiella bacteria were identified from various tick species across the world. Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii that most commonly infects a variety of mammals. Non-mammalian hosts, such as birds, have also been reported to be infected with the pathogenic form of "Candidatus Coxiella avium". Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019 02 27;10(2):377-385. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Akad. G. Bonchev Str. 26, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.

The study objective was to get more information on C. burnetii prevalence in wild birds and ticks feeding on them, and the potentialities of the pathogen dissemination over Europe by both.

Materials: Blood, blood sera, feces of wild birds and ticks removed from those birds or from vegetation were studied at two sites in Russia: the Curonian Spit (site KK), and the vicinity of St. Read More

Indian J Ophthalmol 2018 Dec;66(12):1840-1844

Resident, Aravind Eye Hospital and Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India.

Purpose: Among the major groups of rickettsiosis, the commonly reported diseases in India are: (a) Typhus group induced-scrub typhus, murine flea-borne typhus; (b) Spotted fever group induced-Indian tick typhus; and (c) Q fever. Though many scrub typhus outbreaks have been reported from India, only one outbreak of spotted fever-serologically proven Indian tick typhus (Rickettsia conorii)-has been reported. We report for the first time ocular manifestations of serologically proven R. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019 Apr 17;19(4):225-233. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

1 Department of Internal Medicine and Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Background: Bites with tick-borne pathogens can cause various bacterial, viral, or parasitic diseases in humans. Tick-transmitted diseases are known as contributing factors to the increasing incidence and burden of diseases. The present article investigated the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in South Korea. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 09 11;12(9):e0006722. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Background: Tick-borne zoonoses in the Order Rickettsiales and Legionellales cause infections that often manifest as undifferentiated fevers that are not easy to distinguish from other causes of acute febrile illnesses clinically. This is partly attributed to difficulty in laboratory confirmation since convalescent sera, specific diagnostic reagents, and the required expertise may not be readily available. As a result, a number of tick-borne zoonoses are underappreciated resulting in unnecessary morbidity, mortality and huge economic loses. Read More

Rev Esp Quimioter 2018 Oct 19;31(5):386-405. Epub 2018 Jul 19.

Prof. J. L Pérez Arellano, Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Medicina Tropical. Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria. Avda Marítima del Sur 35080. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Spain.

Q fever is an anthropozoonosis whose causative agent is Coxiella burnetii, which has an important impact from the human and animal health point of view. In this review, a brief historical reference of the infection by C. burnetii and Q fever has been made initially. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 May 29;11(1):317. Epub 2018 May 29.

Wuhan University School of Health Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Background: To increase understanding of human bacterial and parasitic pathogens in bats, we investigated the prevalence of Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2018 06 17;18(6):303-310. Epub 2018 Apr 17.

3 Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases , Sandringham, South Africa .

A lack of surveillance and diagnostics for zoonotic diseases in rural human clinics limits clinical awareness of these diseases. We assessed the prevalence of nine zoonotic pathogens in a pastoral, low-income, HIV-endemic community bordering wildlife reserves in South Africa. Two groups of participants were included: malaria-negative acute febrile illness (AFI) patients, called febrilers, at three clinics (n = 74) and second, farmers, herders, and veterinary staff found at five government cattle dip-tanks, called dip-tanksters (n = 64). Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 03 21;9(3):687-694. Epub 2018 Feb 21.

Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WEH) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Ciència Animal, Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria Agraria (ETSEA), Universitat de Lleida (UdL), Lleida, Spain. Electronic address:

Ruminant livestock is the main reservoir of Coxiella burnetii (Cb), but little is known about the role of wildlife and ticks in its epidemiology. The Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838) population of "Ports de Tortosa i Beseit" (NE Spain) suffers intense tick infestations and low reproduction rates. This study aims to (1) assess the relationship between infection in ibexes (detection of serum antibodies and/or of Cb DNA in tissues) and Cb DNA presence in ticks hosted by the same ibexes; and (2) identify Cb associated risk factors. Read More

J Vector Borne Dis 2017 Oct-Dec;54(4):341-347

Vocational School of Health Services, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.

Background & Objectives: Q fever caused by Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic infection that spreads to human beings from animals. This study was aimed to demographically examine the C. burnetii seroprevalence in the people living in villages where Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is endemic, in terms of various risk factors such as tick bites, tick contact, and occupational groups. Read More

Med Princ Pract 2018 3;27(1):92-94. Epub 2018 Jan 3.

Objective: To describe a rare case of acute Q fever with tache noire.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 51-year-old man experienced acute Q fever showing tache noire, generally considered a pathognomonic sign of Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) and MSF-like illness, but not a clinical feature of Q fever. The patient was treated with doxycycline 100 mg every 12 h. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 01 12;9(1):86-92. Epub 2017 Oct 12.

Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel. Electronic address:

Rodents are hosts of numerous pathogenic agents of public health importance globally. Their ability to harbor these pathogens without showing overt clinical signs of disease has epidemiologic consequences. In some rural settings in Nigeria, humans and rodents do not only share feeds and abode, but the latter may end up on the table of the former as a source of protein, thereby increasing the risks of disease transmission. Read More

Acta Virol 2017;61(3):372-376

Spotted fever and typhus-related diseases caused by rickettsiae, Lyme borreliosis induced by spirochetes from Borrelia burgdorferii sensu lato complex, and Q fever evoked by Coxiella burnetii, are important zoonoses occurring worldwide. In order to study the pathogenesis of these infections, the efficacy of vaccines from the perspective of protection against the pathogens, pathogen - pathogen interactions during co-infections or pathogen-vector-host interrelationship, a suitable animal model should be established. In this study, we evaluated two mouse models - the C3H/N and Balb/c strains for susceptibility to infection and ability to transmit the pathogens via tick vector and to reveal the potential interactions between various bacterial tick-borne agents. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2017 09 31;17(9):630-634. Epub 2017 Jul 31.

2 Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Medicina Tropical, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil de Gran Canaria (CHUIMI) , Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain .

Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of human Q fever, can infect mammals, birds, and arthropods. The Canary Islands (Spain) are considered an endemic territory, with a high prevalence in both humans and livestock. Nonetheless, there is no epidemiological information about the wild and peridomestic cycles of C. Read More

Malar J 2017 04 13;16(1):148. Epub 2017 Apr 13.

Unité de Parasitologie et d'Entomologie, Département des Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, HIA Laveran, Boulevard Laveran, 13013, Marseille, France.

Anti-malarial drug resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has spread from Southeast Asia to Africa. Furthermore, the recent emergence of resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in Southeast Asia highlights the need to identify new anti-malarial drugs. Doxycycline is recommended for malaria chemoprophylaxis for travel in endemic areas, or in combination with the use of quinine for malaria treatment when ACT is unavailable or when the treatment of severe malaria with artesunate fails. Read More

Med J Aust 2017 Apr;206(7):320-324

Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Geelong, VIC.

Tick bites in Australia can lead to a variety of illnesses in patients. These include infection, allergies, paralysis, autoimmune disease, post-infection fatigue and Australian multisystem disorder. Rickettsial (Rickettsia spp. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2017 Mar 22;201:141-145. Epub 2017 Jan 22.

Vector and Water-Borne Pathogen Research Group, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, Perth, Western Australia, 6150, Australia. Electronic address:

Q fever is an infectious disease with a global distribution caused by the intracellular bacterium, Coxiella burnetii, which has been detected in a large number of tick species worldwide, including the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Recent reports of a high seroprevalance of C. burnetii in Australian dogs, along with the identification of additional Coxiella species within R. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2017 Feb 18;50:34-39. Epub 2016 Nov 18.

Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198 (Dakar), Inserm 1095, Marseille, France. Electronic address:

Using qPCR, standard PCR and/or sequencing, we investigated the presence of tick-associated microorganisms in ticks and blood from sheep and goats from Souk Ahras, Algeria. Borrelia theileri, was detected in (7/120, 5.8%) blood from sheep and (13/120, 10. Read More

Niger J Clin Pract 2017 Jan;20(1):6-11

Kuşadası Universal Hospital, Medical Microbiology, Aydın, Turkey.

Aims: Zoonotic diseases, which are a major public health problem in our city, have a negative impact on public health and also cause economic losses due to yield losses of animals and deaths. This study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of tularemia, bartonellosis, brucellosis, Q fever, and cystic echinococcosis in the risk groups for zoonotic infection.

Subjects And Methods: Ninety serum samples were taken from people in the risk groups in covering veterinarian, butchers, farmers and examined with the following tests: Microagglutination test for tularemia, indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for bartonellosis, standard tube agglutination test for brucellosis, IFAT IgG for Q fever, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgG test for cystic hydatid. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017 02 7;96(2):335-337. Epub 2016 Nov 7.

Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

From November to December 2012 in Sélingué-Mali, blood samples from 88 febrile patients who tested negative by malaria Paracheck rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) were used to assess the presence of sub-RDT as well as , , and applying molecular tools. sp. was present among 57 (60. Read More

Parasitol Res 2016 Nov 17;115(11):4427-4431. Epub 2016 Aug 17.

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055, Portici, Naples, Italy.

Ehrlichiosis and Q fever caused by the intracellular bacteria Ehrlichia canis and Coxiella burnetii, respectively, are tick-borne diseases with zoonotic potential and widespread geographical distribution. This study investigated the prevalence of both infections in wild mammals in southern Italy. Tissue samples obtained from the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), European badger (Meles meles), gray wolf (Canis lupus), beech marten (Martes foina), and crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) were processed for molecular detection of both pathogens. Read More

Infection 2016 Dec 5;44(6):733-738. Epub 2016 Jul 5.

Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 8, 07100, Sassari, Italy.

Introduction: Rickettsioses represent a group of emerging infectious diseases in Europe. Climate changes and the anthropization of rural environment have favored vectors' biological cycle and geographic spread. In Sardinia, Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is endemic and represents an important public health problem. Read More

PLoS One 2016 31;11(5):e0156710. Epub 2016 May 31.

College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.

Coxiella burnetii and Coxiella-like bacteria (CLB) are genetically and ecologically distinct despite some genetic similarities. Furthermore, CLB are exceptionally diverse and widespread in ticks, but rarely detected in domestic animals. Since Coxiella bacteria can be transmitted from infected horses by inhalation or by coming in contact with ticks during activities such as horseback riding, it is necessary to study their prevalence. Read More

Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol 2016 Mar-Apr(2):62-9

Aim: Analysis of epidemic manifestations of natural-foci infections (NFI), clarification of spectrum of their causative agents, determination of epizootic activity of natural foci in the Crimea Federal District (KFD).

Materials And Methods: Epizootologic examination of 10 administrative districts of KDF was carried out. 291 pools (2705 specimens) of ixodes ticks and 283 samples of organs of small mammals were studied by PCRmethod for the presence of DNA/RNA of causative agents of a number of NFI. Read More

Med Pr 2016 ;67(1):73-87

Uniwersytet Medyczny w Łodzi / Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland (Zakład Mikrobiologii Farmaceutycznej i Diagnostyki Mikrobiologicznej / Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Microbiological Diagnostics).

The article presents an overview of diagnostics of tick-borne diseases in Poland, which form one of the most prevalent group of occupational illnesses in the Polish area. This is a current issue due to a constantly growing number of tick-borne infections, i.e. Read More

Parasitol Res 2016 Jun 19;115(6):2165-74. Epub 2016 Mar 19.

Institute for Veterinary Public Health, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.

The ixodid tick Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer, 1776) is endemic throughout southern Europe in the range of 33-51 (°) N latitude. In Germany, however, D. marginatus was exclusively reported in the Rhine valley and adjacent areas. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2016 07 27;7(5):703-705. Epub 2016 Feb 27.

School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

Little is known about the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases in American Samoa (Pacific). A review of literature did not identify any published information on human Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2016 Feb 25;16(2):103-9. Epub 2016 Jan 25.

2 CNRS UMR 5288, Toulouse University , Toulouse, France .

In 2012, a seroprevalence survey concerning 10 zoonoses, which were bacterial (Lyme borreliosis and Q fever), parasitic (alveolar echinococcosis [AE] and cystic echinococcosis [CE], cysticercosis, toxoplasmosis, toxocariasis, and trichinellosis), or arboviral (tick-borne encephalitis and West Nile virus infection), was conducted among 77 adult volunteers inhabiting Suordakh and Tomtor Arctic villages in the Verkhoyansk area (Yakutia). Following serological testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and/or western blot, no positive result was found for cysticercosis, CE, toxocariasis, trichinellosis, and both arboviral zoonoses. Four subjects (5. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2016 Jan 20;9:27. Epub 2016 Jan 20.

Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198 (Dakar), Inserm 1095, Faculté de Médecine, 27 bd Jean Moulin, 13385, Marseille, Cedex 5, France.

Background: In recent years, the scope and importance of emergent vector-borne diseases has increased dramatically. In Algeria, only limited information is currently available concerning the presence and prevalence of these zoonotic diseases. For this reason, we conducted a survey of hematophagous ectoparasites of domestic mammals and/or spleens of wild animals in El Tarf and Souk Ahras, Algeria. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2016 Mar 11;7(2):361-6. Epub 2015 Dec 11.

Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases, Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. Electronic address:

Ticks are involved in the epidemiology of several human pathogens including spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii and Bartonella spp. Human diseases caused by these microorganisms have been reported from South Africa. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2015 Dec 25;43:57-60. Epub 2015 Oct 25.

División Inmunología y Diagnóstico, Instituto de Zoonosis Luis Pasteur, Av. Díaz Vélez 4821, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In Buenos Aires city (Argentina), the circulation of these agents has been detected mainly in vectors and animals, few human cases having been described. The aim of our study was to determine the seroprevalence of Rickettsia (spotted fever--SFG--and typhus--TG--groups) and Coxiella burnetii (Q fever agent) in residents of Buenos Aires city. The study involved 99 participants. Read More

Infect Ecol Epidemiol 2015 24;5:29230. Epub 2015 Nov 24.

Anses, Sophia-Antipolis Laboratory, Animal Q fever Unit, Sophia-Antipolis, France.

Background: Q fever is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. Ticks may act as vectors, and many epidemiological studies aim to assess C. burnetii prevalence in ticks. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2016 Feb 19;7(1):166-171. Epub 2015 Oct 19.

Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University, PO Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address:

Coxiella burnetii is a pathogen causing Q fever in domestic animals and humans. Seabirds have been implicated as possible reservoirs of this bacterium in the Arabian Gulf and in the Western Indian Ocean. Recently, Coxiella species closely related to C. Read More

Exp Appl Acarol 2016 Mar;68(3):299-314

Ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are known as primary vectors of many pathogens causing diseases in humans and animals. Ixodes ricinus is a common ectoparasite in Europe and birds are often hosts of subadult stages of the tick. From 2012 to 2013, 347 birds belonging to 43 species were caught and examined for ticks in three sites of Slovakia. Read More

Trends Parasitol 2015 Nov 11;31(11):536-552. Epub 2015 Oct 11.

Unité d'Epidémiologie Animale, UR 0346 INRA, Saint Genès Champanelle, France. Electronic address:

Q fever is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a ubiquitous intracellular bacterium infecting humans and a variety of animals. Transmission is primarily but not exclusively airborne, and ticks are usually thought to act as vectors. We argue that, although ticks may readily transmit C. Read More

Microbes Infect 2015 Nov-Dec;17(11-12):811-6. Epub 2015 Sep 30.

Institute of Microbiology, University of Lausanne, University Hospital Center, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Coxiella burnetii and members of the genus Rickettsia are obligate intracellular bacteria. Since cultivation of these organisms requires dedicated techniques, their diagnosis usually relies on serological or molecular biology methods. Immunofluorescence is considered the gold standard to detect antibody-reactivity towards these organisms. Read More

Microbes Infect 2015 Nov-Dec;17(11-12):799-805. Epub 2015 Sep 30.

Unit of Medical Entomology, Department of Virology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, Via Manfredonia, 20-71121 Foggia, Italy.

Several different ticks have been reported to harbor microbes related to Coxiella burnetii, the agent of the Q fever. Rhipicephalus bursa is an important vector of tick-borne diseases in livestock in Mediterranean area; it is also abundant in ovi-caprine farms with C. burnetii infection, in Southern Italy. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2016 Feb 25;7(1):68-70. Epub 2015 Aug 25.

Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.

Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. In order to explore the occurrence of C. burnetii in ticks, samples were collected from horses, dogs and humans living in a Cuban occidental community. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2015 Jul 2;15(7):404-11. Epub 2015 Jul 2.

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale" , Teramo, Italy .

The maintenance of tick-borne disease agents in the environment strictly depends on the relationship between tick vectors and their hosts, which act as reservoirs for these pathogens. A pilot study aimed to investigate wild rodents as reservoirs for zoonotic tick-borne pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l. Read More

Indian J Med Res 2015 Apr;141(4):417-22

Writing Committee of the DHR-ICMR Guidelines for Diagnosis & Management of Rickettsial Diseases in India; Indian Council of Medical Research Task Force on Development of Guidelines for Diagnosis & Management of Rickettsial Diseases, India.

Rickettsial diseases, caused by a variety of obligate intracellular, gram-negative bacteria from the genera Rickettsia, Orientia, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia, Neoehrlichia, and Anaplasma, belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria, are considered some of the most covert emerging and re-emerging diseases and are being increasingly recognized. Among the major groups of rickettsioses, commonly reported diseases in India are scrub typhus, murine flea-borne typhus, Indian tick typhus and Q fever. Rickettsial infections are generally incapacitating and difficult to diagnose; untreated cases have case fatality rates as high as 30-45 per cent with multiple organ dysfunction, if not promptly diagnosed and appropriately treated. Read More

Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2014 Dec 19;62(6):445-7. Epub 2014 Oct 19.

Department of Epidemiology, Lviv National Medical University, L'viv, Ukraine,

The key aspects of the natural foci of especially dangerous diseases as a type of biological threats are presented. Approaches to epidemiological surveillance and control to the spread of the agents of especially dangerous diseases on endemic areas are described for zoonosis that has a medical value. The knowledge of specific design of tools for the implementation of epidemiological surveillance, monitoring and evaluation of natural foci diseases in developing countries is low; accordingly, little is known on the ecology and transmission dynamics for the agents of especially dangerous diseases. Read More

Travel Med Infect Dis 2014 Sep-Oct;12(5):443-58. Epub 2014 Sep 16.

Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, Pole Maladies Infectieuses, Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France; Aix Marseille Université, Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198 (Dakar), Inserm 1095, WHO Collaborative Center for Rickettsioses and Other Arthropod-borne Bacterial Diseases, Marseille, France. Electronic address:

Rickettsioses (also called typhus) are associated with arthropods, including ticks, mites, fleas, and lice, although Q fever is more frequently acquired through the inhalation of contaminated aerosols or the consumption of milk. These zoonoses first emerged in the field of travel medicine 20 years ago. Here, we review rickettsioses and Q fever in travelers, highlighting cases reported in the past decade. Read More

ISBT Sci Ser 2014 Jul 28;9(1):30-36. Epub 2014 Jul 28.

American Red Cross Gaithersburg, MD, USA.

Background: In August 2009, a group from the AABB (Stramer et al., Transfusion 2009;99:1S-29S, Emerging Infectious Disease Agents and their Potential Threat to Transfusion Safety; http://www.aabb. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2014 Sep 8;14(9):633-9. Epub 2014 Sep 8.

1 Global Disease Detection Regional Center-Egypt, US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 , Cairo, Egypt .

Introduction: Zoonotic diseases are an important cause of human morbidity and mortality. Animal populations at locations with high risk of transmission of zoonotic pathogens offer an opportunity to study viral and bacterial pathogens of veterinary and public health concern.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from domestic and imported livestock slaughtered at the Muneeb abattoir in central Egypt in 2009. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2014 Sep 8;14(9):685-7. Epub 2014 Sep 8.

1 Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, Medical School, University of Crete , Heraklion, Greece .

Over 40 tick species are naturally infected by Coxiella burnetii. However, little is known about the presence of C. burnetii in other ectoparasites such as fleas. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2014 Sep 7;5(5):557-63. Epub 2014 Jun 7.

Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UMR 5290-224 CNRS-IRD-UM1-UM2, Centre de Recherche IRD, 34090 Montpellier, France.

The obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever, a widespread zoonotic disease whose most common animal reservoirs are domestic ruminants. Recently, a variety of Coxiella-like organisms have also been reported from non-mammalian hosts, including pathogenic forms in birds and forms without known effects in ticks, raising questions about the potential importance of non-mammalian hosts as reservoirs of Coxiella in the wild. In the present study, we examined the potential role of globally-distributed seabird ticks as reservoirs of these bacteria. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2014 May 12;14:255. Epub 2014 May 12.

Pôle de recherche et de veille sur les maladies infectieuses émergentes, Institut Louis Malardé, Tahiti, PO Box 30, 98713 Tahiti, Polynésie française.

Background: In the Pacific islands countries and territories, very little is known about the incidence of infectious diseases due to zoonotic pathogens. To our knowledge, human infections due to Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichia spp. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014 May 22;8(5):e2896. Epub 2014 May 22.

Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.

Introduction: Although malaria has been the leading cause of fever for many years, with improved control regimes malaria transmission, morbidity and mortality have decreased. Recent studies have increasingly demonstrated the importance of non-malaria fevers, which have significantly improved our understanding of etiologies of febrile illnesses. A number of non-malaria febrile illnesses including Rift Valley Fever, dengue fever, Chikungunya virus infection, leptospirosis, tick-borne relapsing fever and Q-fever have been reported in Tanzania. Read More