title: Detection and identification of Rickettsia species in the northeast of Italy.
abstract: This study was carried out using Ixodes ricinus ticks collected during 2005 and 2006 from the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region in the northeastern part of Italy and an area along the Slovenian side of the western border of Italy. The results indicate that Rickettsia spp. is widely distributed throughout these areas, with the greatest prevalence in the central part of the FVG region. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was 4.5% during 2005 and 6.1% during 2006. By sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, we show for the first time the presence of Rickettsia helvetica in I. ricinus ticks in the FVG region and the presence of R. monacensis in ticks in both areas. Furthermore, we detected a sequence with a high homology with that of R. limoniae in a tick obtained from the alpine zone.
authors.affiliation: Spirochete Laboratory, Microbiology Section, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Floris
authors.forename: Ayse Nur
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Yurtman
authors.forename: Erica Faverio
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Margoni
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mignozzi
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boemo
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altobelli
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cinco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000145:classification; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D007558:Italy; D018884:Ixodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017524:Slovenia
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial