Abstract
Rickettsioses are recognized as important emerging vector-borne infections of humans worldwide. Previous reports documented the presence of two spotted fever group rickettsiae in Israel, Rickettsia conorii israelensis and Rickettsia felis. The aim of this study was to characterize the diversity of rickettsiae in ticks collected from vegetation and the ground, from different parts of Israel. Non-engorged questing adult ticks were collected from 13 localities. A total of 131 tick pools, 83 of Rhipicephalus turanicus and 48 of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (each with 2-10 ticks per pool), were included in this study. In addition, 13 Hyalomma sp. ticks were collected. The ticks were molecularly screened for rickettsiae, targeting the citrate synthase (gltA) and the outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene loci. Rickettsia massiliae ompA DNA (100% sequence identity; 180bp) was detected in 32 Rh. turanicus and 12 Rh. sanguineus tick pools. R. conorii israelensis was detected in three Rh. sanguineus pools. Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae ompA DNA (100% sequence identity; 182bp) was found in one Hyalomma tick. This study reports the first detection of R. massiliae and R. sibirica mongolitimonae in ticks from Israel. This is the first report describing the presence of these human pathogens in the Middle East.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 176-180 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Clinical Microbiology and Infection |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Hyalomma
- Rhipicephalus
- Rickettsia conorii israelensis
- Rickettsia massiliae
- Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases