Attitudes and Practices from People of a Mayan Community of Mexico, Related to Tick-Borne Diseases: Implications for the Design of Prevention Programs.

Background: Tick-borne diseases are caused by several pathogens whose transmission could be associated to the life conditions of communities settled in endemic areas. We aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the exposition and prevention of tick-borne diseases among people living in a typical Mayan community of Yucatan, Mexico between Dec 2012 and May 2013.

Methods: A directed survey was applied to 212 (100%) householders (women and men) from Teabo, Yucatan, Mexico.

A dog naturally infected with Rickettsia akari in Yucatan, México.

Rickettsia akari is the causative agent of rickettsialpox, a primarily urban mite-borne rickettsiosis that is encountered in the United States and in a few countries around the world. Its vector is the mite Liponyssoides sanguineus, which is found on rats and mice, which serve as reservoirs for the disease. In this work we report a severe animal case of R.

An increase in human cases of spotted fever rickettsiosis in Yucatan, Mexico, involving children.

The first human case of infection caused by Rickettsia in Yucatan was detected in 1996, and it was determined that the species was R. felis. Since then, passive epidemiologic surveillance was implemented to search for human cases in the public hospitals of the state, and in 2005, the first human case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever was detected.

Short report: Rickettsia felis outer membrane protein A: a potential tool for diagnosis of patients with flea-borne spotted fever.

Rickettsia felis infection in humans has been detected worldwide, causing an illness that could be confused with other viral and bacterial infections such as dengue fever. Despite the high incidence of infection in humans, reservoirs, and vectors, the definitive diagnosis of R. felis infection currently requires polymerase chain reaction and sequencing because its antigens are closely related to other rickettsiae, making serologic diagnosis problematic.

Rickettsia felis as emergent global threat for humans.

Rickettsia felis is an emergent pathogen belonging to transitional group rickettsiae. First described in 1990, R. felis infections have been reported to occur worldwide in fleas, mammals, and humans.