title: First detection of Rickettsia felis in Ctenocephalides felis fleas parasitizing rats in Cyprus.
abstract: Rickettsia felis was identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing analysis in Ctenocephalides felis fleas parasitizing rats in Cyprus. Murine typhus caused by R. typhi was believed to be the only flea-transmitted rickettsiosis on the island. This is the first report of this pathogen in southeastern Europe.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses, and Geographical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Psaroulaki
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antoniou
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papaeustathiou
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toumazos
authors.forename: Feidias
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Loukaides
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tselentis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003535:Cyprus; D051381:Rats / Q000469:parasitology*; D041161:Rickettsia felis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology*