Abstract
Spotted fever (SF) rickettsioses are acute febrile, mostly tick-borne infections caused by obligate intracellular bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. In China, three rickettsiae SF groups, including Rickettsia sibirica subsp. sibirica, R. sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae, and Rickettsia heilongjiangensis, have been isolated in humans [1]. In addition, several SF rickettsiae have been detected in ticks. R. sibirica was first isolated from Dermacentor nuttallii in Xinjiang Province in 1974. Later, up to 20 R. sibirica strains were isolated from ticks in different parts of continental China. In Guangdong Province, R. sibirica was initially identified in Dermacentor ticks in Lianping County in 1999 (Fig. 1). Subsequently, we identified Rickettsia honei, Rickettsia africae and Rickettsia slovaca in Boophilus microplus, Haemaphysalis cornigera and Ixodes granulatus ticks, respectively, that were collected in the same area. In another investigation, we detected R. heilongjiangensis and Rickettsia massiliae in Haemaphysalis longicornis, which is the main tick in this area. In order to further study the prevalence of SF rickettsiae in Lianping County, we investigated their presence in rodents, which are the ticks’ hosts. Herein, we detail the characterization of six rickettsial isolates obtained from wild rats trapped in this area.
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