title: Short report: Race and rickettsiae: a United States perspective.
abstract: US surveillance programs for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis collect demographic data on patients, including race and ethnicity. Reporting of these diseases among race groups is not uniform across the United States. Because a laboratory confirmation is required to meet the national surveillance case definition, reporting may be influenced by a patient's access to healthcare. Determining the association between race and ethnicity with incidence of rickettsial infections requires targeted, active surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vectorborne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. iot0@cdc.gov
authors.forename: F Scott
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Dahlgren
authors.forename: Ramal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moonesinghe
authors.forename: Jennifer H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: McQuiston
mesh_terms: D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016017:Odds Ratio; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011159:Population Surveillance; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012288:Rickettsiaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology