Limited evidence of infection with other tick-borne pathogens in patients tested for Lyme neuroborreliosis in the Netherlands.

Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the causative agents of Lyme neuroborreliosis. This tick species can also transmit tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia and Borrelia miyamotoi to humans. These tick-borne pathogens are present in Dutch ticks and have also been associated with human neurological infections, but well characterized disease cases are seldom reported.

Spotted fever diagnosis using molecular methods.

Rickettsiosis is a disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Rickettsia, and is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease of great medical and veterinary importance. Given the urgent need to develop new diagnostic methods for detecting this disease, the present review aimed to evaluate the number of publications dedicated to the identification of Rickettsia spp. in human samples using molecular methods, such as polymerase chain reaction and its variations.

Conceptual Framework for Community-Based Prevention of Brown Dog Tick-Associated Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a severe tickborne disease that can reach epidemic proportions in communities with certain social and ecologic risk factors. In some areas, the case-fatality rate of brown dog tick-associated RMSF is up to 50%. Because of the spread of brown dog tick-associated RMSF in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, the disease has the potential to emerge and become endemic in other communities that have large populations of free-roaming dogs, brown dog ticks, limited resources, and low provider awareness of the disease.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Children along the US‒Mexico Border, 2017-2023.

Rocky mountain spotted fever (RMSF) causes significant illness and death in children. Although historically rare in California, USA, RMSF is endemic in areas of northern Mexico that border California. We describe 7 children with RMSF who were hospitalized at a tertiary pediatric referral center in California during 2017-2023.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of tick-borne SFGR in China from 2000 to 2022.

Background: Ticks carry and transmit a wide range of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and protozoa) that pose significant threats to human and animal health worldwide. Only few meta-analyses have been conducted on the distribution of ticks and tick-borne spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR). Therefore, this study aims to examine the tick species and SFGR positivity in China in order to provide support for further research and improvements in the prevention and control of tick-borne diseases.

Spatial and temporal variation of five different pathogens and symbionts in nymphs in the Netherlands.

The incidence of diseases caused by pathogens transmitted by the tick vary over time and space through incompletely understood mechanisms. An important determinant of the disease risk is the density of infected ticks, which is the infection prevalence times the density of questing ticks. We therefore investigated the spatial and temporal variation of four pathogens and one of the most abundant symbionts in in questing nymphs over four years of monthly collections in 12 locations in the Netherlands.

Japanese spotted fever in an area endemic to SFTS virus: Case report and review of the literature.

Rationale: The geographic spread of Japanese spotted fever (JSF) in China is gradually expanding, particularly in regions where severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is highly prevalent, with both diseases sharing similarities in epidemiology and clinical presentation. The microbiological diagnosis of JSF is challenging, compounded by low awareness among healthcare professionals in newly affected areas. Moreover, primary healthcare facilities without polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing capabilities for SFTS often misdiagnose JSF as SFTS.

Development of an all-in-one real-time PCR assay for simultaneous detection of spotted fever group rickettsiae, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus and hantaan virus prevalent in central China.

Central China has been reported to be one of the most important endemic areas of zoonotic infection by spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) and hantaan virus (HTNV). Due to similar clinical symptoms, it is challenging to make a definite diagnosis rapidly and accurately in the absence of microbiological tests. In the present study, an all-in-one real-time PCR assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of nucleic acids from SFGR, SFTSV and HTNV.

Discovery of a novel spotted fever group Rickettsia, "Candidatus Rickettsia kedanie," in unfed larval chigger mites, Leptotrombidium scutellare.

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia, the causative agent of SFG rickettsiosis, is predominantly carried by ticks, whereas Orientia tsutusgamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, is primarily transmitted by chigger mites in Japan. In this study, we attempted to isolate intracellular eubacteria from Leptotrombidium scutellare, a major vector of O. tsutsugamushi; moreover, we isolated an SFG rickettsia using a mosquito-derived cell line.

Stomach as the target organ of Rickettsia heilongjiangensis infection in C57BL/6 mice identified by click chemistry.

Spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) are obligate intracellular bacteria that cause spotted fever. The limitations of gene manipulation pose great challenges to studying the infection mechanisms of Rickettsia. By combining bioorthogonal metabolism and click chemistry, we developed a method to label R.