Abstract
Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology andMicrobiology, Moscow, RussiaINTRODUCTIONSFG rickettsiae are obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria are associatedwith arthropods, mainly ticks, and can be trans-mitted to mammals and humans. Ixodid ticks ofthe Hyalomma marginatum species are widelyspread in semi-desert and steppe landscape areasof south-western Russia, in particular in theStavropol region where they have been reportedto bite humans [1]. The main hosts of the larvaeand nymphs of this tick species include severalspecies of wild and domestic birds, the Europeanbrown hare, and four-toed and eared hedgehogs.In contrast, adult ticks parasitise livestock anddomestic dogs, and may attack humans. InRussia, H. marginatum ticks are known to be themain vectors of the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagicfever (CCHF) virus in the southern part of thecountry. In addition, strains of West Nile fevervirus were isolated from H. marginatum tickscollected in the Volga delta in Astrakhan.However, to date, the presence of rickettsiae inH. marginatum has not been evaluated. In thepresent study, we investigated by PCR thepresence of rickettsiae in H. marginatum tickscollected in the Stavropol region of Russia.MATERIALS AND METHODS
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