Study of infection by Rickettsiae of the spotted fever group in humans and ticks in an urban park located in the City of Londrina, State of Paraná, Brazil.

Introduction: Spotted fevers are emerging zoonoses caused by Rickettsia species in the spotted fever group (SFG). Rickettsia rickettsii is the main etiologic agent of Brazilian spotted fever (BSF)and it is transmitted by Amblyomma spp. ticks.

Serosurvey of antibodies against spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. in horse farms in Northern Paraná, Brazil.

Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is an emerging disease most likely caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. The objective of the present study was to estimate the seroprevalence of BSF rickettsia infections in equines from six horse farms located in Londrina County, Paraná, Southern Brazil. Six owners of horse farms situated in Cambé, Santa Fé, Guaraci and Londrina municipalities participated in the study.

[Seasonal dynamics of Amblyomma ticks (Acari:Ixodidae) in an urban Park of Londrina City, Parana, Brazil].

Ticks are important to public health due to diseases they transmit to animals and humans and, economic losses they cause to livestock production. Among other agents, such as Babesia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, the Rickettsia are the most important pathogens transmitted by ticks in Brazil. Worldwide there are about 870 tick species described and, of these, 55 species were already reported in Brazil, being the genus Amblyomma the most numerous with 33 species.