- Rickettsia bacteria are the cause of diseases like spotted fevers and typhus, transmitted through ticks, mites, and fleas, which serve as both reservoirs and vectors.
- The study aimed to monitor Rickettsia in ectoparasites collected from small mammals in Eastern Slovakia, where they gathered a variety of specimens from over 1,500 animals.
- The research found rickettsiae in different species of mites, ticks, and fleas, indicating the presence of various Rickettsia species, notably R. helvetica and R. slovaca, among the collected samples.