Epidemiological characteristics of rickettsial diseases in Croatia.
OBJECTIVE
To show the presence and prevalence of rickettsial diseases and the geographic distribution in Croatia.


METHODS
The pattern of these diseases was monitored during the 1992-2003 period.


RESULTS
The rickettsial diseases that occur sporadically in the littoral of Croatia (Adriatic islands and the coastal area) include Mediterranean spotted fever, murine typhus, Brill-Zinsser disease, and a clinical entity known as rickettsioses. Mediterranean spotted fever and murine typhus are considered to be endemic exclusively in Dalmatia.


CONCLUSIONS
The term rickettsioses has been used because of inadequate laboratory differentiation of causative agents; therefore, the species of rickettsiae responsible for this clinical entity remains unknown. Highly efficient, military, infectious disease research should be continued, to shed more light on this important issue.
Mulić
Rosanda
R
Naval Medicine Institute, Croatian Navy, Split, Croatia.
Mihajlović
Natalija
N
Ropac
Darko
D
Zorić
Ivan
I
Alambasić
Kemal
K
D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology