Prevalence of rickettsia-like organisms and spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from Zimbabwe.
The prevalence of rickettsia-like organisms in ticks from Zimbabwe was determined using the hemolymph test. Amblyomma hebraeum had the highest prevalence of rickettsia-like organisms. Other species with rickettsia-like organisms included Amblyomma sparsum, Amblyomma variegatum, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Ripicephalus simus, Haemaphysalis leachi, Amblyomma rhinocerotis, and Hyalomma truncatum. Ticks with no demonstrable rickettsia-like organisms infection were Boophilus decoloratus, Haemaphysalis spinulosa, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis on samples of hemolymph-positive ticks showed the agent of African tick-bite fever to be present in A. hebraeum, Rickettsia conorii to be present in Rhipicephalus simus and Haemaphysalis leachi, and a spotted fever group rickettsia similar to that in Hyalomma marginatum marginatum ticks from Morocco and Portugal to be present in Hyalomma marginatum rufipes.
Beati
L
L
Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France.
Kelly
P J
PJ
Matthewman
L A
LA
Mason
P R
PR
Raoult
D
D
D000818:Animals; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012287:Rickettsiaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012373:Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / Q000382:microbiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*; D015030:Zimbabwe