title: Guidelines for the Detection of Rickettsia spp.
abstract: The genus Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) includes Gram-negative, small, obligate intracellular, nonmotile, pleomorphic coccobacilli bacteria transmitted by arthropods. Some of them cause human and probably also animal disease (life threatening in some patients). In these guidelines, we give clinical practice advices (microscopy, serology, molecular tools, and culture) for the microbiological study of these microorganisms in clinical samples. Since in our environment rickettsioses are mainly transmitted by ticks, practical information for the identification of these arthropods and for the study of Rickettsia infections in ticks has also been added.
authors.affiliation: 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain .
authors.forename: Aránzazu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Portillo
authors.affiliation: 2 National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge , Águas de Moura, Portugal .
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.affiliation: 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain .
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santibáñez
authors.affiliation: 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal .
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: 4 Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes, Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection , Marseille, France .
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edouard
authors.affiliation: 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal .
authors.forename: Isabel P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal .
authors.forename: Cátia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno , Brno, Czech Republic .|6 CEITEC VFU, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno , Brno, Czech Republic .
authors.forename: Marketa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Novakova
authors.affiliation: 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain .
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Palomar
authors.affiliation: 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal .
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: 7 National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland .
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silaghi
authors.affiliation: 8 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino , Grugliasco, Italy .
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomassone
authors.affiliation: 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal .
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zúquete
authors.affiliation: 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain .
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Oteo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001179:Arthropod Vectors / Q000382:microbiology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013048:Specimen Handling
keywords: Rickettsia; diagnosis; reservoir host; tick(s)