title: Rickettsia africae in Hyalomma dromedarii ticks from sub-Saharan Algeria.
abstract: Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are caused by obligate, intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. In recent years, several species and subspecies of rickettsias have been identified as emerging pathogens throughout the world, including sub-Saharan Africa. We report here the detection of Rickettsia africae, the agent responsible for African tick-bite fever, by amplification of fragments of gltA and ompA genes and multi-spacer typing from Hyalomma dromedarii ticks collected from the camel Camelus dromedarius in the Adrar and Béchar region (sub-Saharan Algeria). To date, R. africae has been associated mainly with Amblyomma spp. The role of H. dromedarii in the epidemiology of R. africae requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Ecologie et des Systèmes Vectoriels, Institut Pasteur d'Algérie, Algiers, Algeria.
authors.forename: Tahar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kernif
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Djerbouh
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mediannikov
authors.forename: Bouhous
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ayach
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rolain
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parola
authors.forename: Idir
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bitam
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria; D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002162:Camelus / Q000469:parasitology*; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C078167:OMPA outer membrane proteins; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase