title: First report on the occurrence of Rickettsia slovaca and Rickettsia raoultii in Dermacentor silvarum in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rickettsioses are among both the longest known and most recently recognized infectious diseases. Although new spotted fever group rickettsiae have been isolated in many parts of the world including China, Little is known about the epidemiology of Rickettsia pathogens in ticks from Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an attempt to assess the potential risk of rickettsial infection after exposure to ticks in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, a total of 200 Dermacentor silvarum ticks collected in Xinyuan district were screened by polymerase chain reaction based on the outer membrane protein A gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  22 of the 200 specimens (11%) were found to be positive by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of OmpA sequences identified two rickettsial species, Rickettsia raoultii (4.5%) and Rickettsia slovaca (6.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has reported the occurrence of Rickettsia raoultii and Rickettsia slovaca in Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China and suggests that Dermacentor silvarum could be involved in the transmission of rickettsial agents in China. Further studies on the characterization and culture of rickettsial species found in Dermacentor silvarum should be performed to further clarify this. Additionally, the screening of human specimens for rickettsial disease in this region will define the incidence of infection.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730046, People's Republic of China. tianzhancheng2002@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Zhan-Cheng
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Guang-Yuan
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Jun-Ren
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Mei-Yuan
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C078167:OMPA outer membrane proteins