Screening for , and Species in Ticks from Queensland, Australia.

Tick bites in Australia are linked to the transmission of a variety of infectious diseases in humans, livestock and wildlife. Despite this recognition, little is currently known about the variety of potential pathogens that are carried and transmitted by Australian ticks. In this study, we attempted to expand knowledge of Australian tick-borne bacterial pathogens by analyzing various tick species from the state of Queensland for potential human pathogens belonging to the , and genera.

Ixodes holocyclus Tick-Transmitted Human Pathogens in North-Eastern New South Wales, Australia.

A group of 14 persons who live in an area of Australia endemic for the Australian paralysis tick, , and who were involved in regularly collecting and handling these ticks, was examined for antibodies to tick-transmitted bacterial pathogens. Five (36%) had antibodies to , the causative agent of Q fever and three (21%) had antibodies to spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae ( spp). None had antibodies to , , , or (Lymedisease) suggesting that they had not been exposed to these bacteria.

An outbreak of scrub typhus in military personnel despite protocols for antibiotic prophylaxis: doxycycline resistance excluded by a quantitative PCR-based susceptibility assay.

Scrub typhus is caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi and is endemic to many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including tropical Australia. We describe a recent large outbreak amongst military personnel in north Queensland. A total of 45 clinical cases were identified (36% of all potentially exposed individuals).

Isolation of Coxiella burnetii from serum of patients with acute Q fever.

Worldwide there are few isolate collections of the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii, due to the difficulties associated with working with the organism and the scarcity of suitable samples from which to attempt isolation. Particularly lacking are isolates from acute Q fever patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the serum samples taken from patients with confirmed acute Q fever during the early stage of their disease represented a potential source of viable C.