COYOTES () IN ARIZONA, USA, EXHIBIT IMMUNE AND GENETIC EVIDENCE OF RICKETTSIAL INFECTIONS.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), caused by the bacterium , was recognized as endemic in Arizona, US after a 2002 outbreak and has since been a public health concern. The brown dog tick ( sensu lato) is the principal vector of this pathogen in Arizona. Domesticated dogs () are the tick's main host, so free-roaming dogs in peridomestic areas have been named the primary risk factor for human cases of RMSF.