Abstract
During the hunting season 2007-2008, 494 Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer) ticks were collected from 109 hunter-killed wild boars, Sus scrofa, in Lucca's province, Tuscany, Italy. Rickettsia slovaca, the causative agent of tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA), was detected in 32.1% of ticks tested (n=112) by using polymerase chain reaction primers targeting gltA, ompA, and ompB rickettsial genes. Moreover, Rickettsia raoultii was found for the first time in Italy, with 1.8% infection prevalence. This study confirms the risk posed to humans by ticks and tick-borne pathogens in the study area, where cases of spotted fever rickettsiosis (TIBOLA) are reported.
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