Rickettsia rickettsii transmission by a lone star tick, North Carolina

Edward B Breitschwerdt; Barbara C Hegarty; Ricardo G Maggi; Paul M Lantos; Denise M Aslett; Julie M Bradley

doi:10.3201/eid1705.101530

Rickettsia rickettsii transmission by a lone star tick, North Carolina

Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 May;17(5):873-5. doi: 10.3201/eid1705.101530.

Authors

Edward B Breitschwerdt¹, Barbara C Hegarty, Ricardo G Maggi, Paul M Lantos, Denise M Aslett, Julie M Bradley

Affiliation

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA. ed_breitschwerdt@ncsu.edu

Abstract

Only indirect or circumstantial evidence has been published to support transmission of Rickettsia rickettsii by Amblyomma americanum (lone star) ticks in North America. This study provides molecular evidence that A. americanum ticks can function, although most likely infrequently, as vectors of Rocky Mountain spotted fever for humans.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Animals
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
Doxycycline / therapeutic use
Humans
Male
Mitochondria / genetics
North Carolina
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
Rickettsia rickettsii / physiology*
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / diagnosis
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / drug therapy
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / transmission*
Skin / pathology
Ticks / genetics
Ticks / microbiology*

Substances

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
OMPA outer membrane proteins
Doxycycline