Search results for "Rhipicephalus sanguineus"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
Ticks infesting humans in Italy and associated pathogens
2014
Background: Ticks may transmit a large variety of pathogens, which cause illnesses in animals and humans, commonly referred to as to tick-borne diseases (TBDs). The incidence of human TBDs in Italy is underestimated because of poor surveillance and the scant amount of studies available. Methods. Samples (n = 561) were collected from humans in four main geographical areas of Italy (i.e., northwestern, northeastern, southern Italy, and Sicily), which represent a variety of environments. After being morphologically identified, ticks were molecularly tested with selected protocols for the presence of pathogens of the genera Rickettsia, Babesia, Theileria, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Bor…
A retrospective study of the characterization of Rickettsia species in ticks collected from humans
2017
Rickettsiae (family Rickettsiaceae, order Rickettsiales) are obligate intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. Several Rickettsia species causing vector-borne rickettsioses belong to the spotted fever group (SFG). Traditionally, Rickettsia conorii has been considered as the main etiologic agent of Mediterranean spotted fever. However, the molecular characterization of rickettsiae allowed identifying other species involved in spotted fever in the Mediterranean region. In this study, 42 ticks collected from humans were subjected to morphological identification and molecular characterization of Rickettsia species potentially involved in human rickettsiosis in Sicily. Fourteen t…
[Mediterranean spotted fever in paediatric and adult patients: two clinical aspects of the same disease].
2012
Mediterranean Spotted Fever is an acute febrile disease caused by Rickettsia conorii and transmitted to humans by the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Nearly 400 cases are reported every year in Sicily, mainly from June to September. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical and laboratory features of two different groups of patients , one of adults and one of children. The analysis included all adult patients with MSF diagnosed at the Institute of Infectious Diseases, Paolo Giaccone University Polyclinic in Palermo, during the period January 2007- August 2010 and all the children diagnosed with MSF at the G. Di Cristina Children Hospital in Palermo during the period January …
Mediterranean spotted fever: clinical and laboratory characteristics of 415 Sicilian children
2006
Abstract Background Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is an acute febrile, zoonotic disease caused by Rickettsia conorii and transmitted to humans by the brown dogtick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Nearly four hundred cases are reported every year (mainly from June to September) on the Italian island of Sicily. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with MSF and the efficacy of the drugs administered. Methods Our study was carried out on 415 children with MSF, during the period January 1997 – December 2004, at the "G. Di Cristina" Children's hospital in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. On admission patients' clinical history, physical and laboratory e…
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BOUTONNEUSE FEVER IN WESTERN SICILY
1986
The distribution and prevalence of spotted fever group rickettsial infection in the ixodid dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus were found to occur at a rate of 19.7% with variation related to geographic and sociooccupational factors. A higher rate of infection was demonstrated in ticks removed from dogs associated with documented cases of boutonneuse fever. The results fit into available clinical and seroepidemiologic data on Rickettsia conorii infection in western Sicily.
Multiple organ failure as onset of Mediterranean spotted fever: a review based on a case
2016
Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is an infectious disease endemic in the southern regions of Italy, with an incidence of about 400 cases/year. The bacteria responsible of the disease is <em>Rickettsia conorii</em>, transmitted to humans by <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em>, the common dog tick. The infection usually manifests with a characteristic symptomatologic triad: fever, exanthema and the so called <em>tache noire</em>, which is the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG enzymelinked immunosorbent assay and the gold standard micro-immunofluorescent assay, allow serological diagnosis. We report the case of a man …
Israeli Spotted FeverRickettsiain SicilianRhipicephalus sanguineusTicks
2003
To the Editor: Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is endemic in Italy, where it is a reportable disease. From 1992 to 1998, the Italian Ministry of Health was notified of approximately 8,500 cases of human rickettsioses presumed to be MSF. MSF occurs more commonly in some central (Lazio) and southern (Sardinia, Sicily, and Calabria) regions (1,2); in 1998, an average of 8.8 cases occurred for every 100,000 persons in Sicily, compared with the national average of 1.6 cases per 100,000 persons. Rickettsia conorii has been thought to be the only pathogenic Rickettsia of the spotted fever group in Sicily (3,4) or the western Mediterranean area. Recently, three different spotted fever group ricke…
Israeli Spotted Fever in Sicily. Description of two cases and minireview
2017
Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is endemic in Italy, where Rickettsia conorii subsp. conorii was thought to be the only pathogenic rickettsia and Rhipicephalus sanguineus the vector and main reservoir. R. conorii subsp. israelensis, which belongs to the R. conorii complex, is the agent of Israeli spotted fever (ISF); apart from Israel, it has also been found in Italy (Sicily and Sardinia) and in different regions of Portugal. We describe here two severe cases of ISF which occurred in otherwise healthy Italian adults. Their characteristics are analyzed and discussed in the light of other 91 cases found through a systematic review of international literature.
Isolation on "VERO" cells of a spotted fever group rickettsia "Mortilli strain" from Rhipicephalus sanguineus.
1986
The isolation of a Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsia « Mortilli strain » from brown dog ticks Rhipicephalu.s sanguineus removed from dogs associated with a confirmed case of Boutonneuse Fever (BF) in a site of a Western Sicily is reported. The need is stressed for isolation and adaption on cell cultures of SFG rickettsial strains for analysis of antigenic structure employing modern methodology.
Epidemiology and clinical features of Mediterranean spotted fever in Italy
2006
Mediterranean Spotted Fever is caused by Rickettsia conorii and is transmitted to humans by Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the common dog tick. It is characterized by the symptomatologic triad: fever, exanthema and "tache noire", the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. In Italy the most affected region is Sicily. The seasonal peak of the disease (from June through September) occurs during maximal activity of immature stage ticks. Severe forms of the disease have been reported in 6% of patients, especially adults with one of the following conditions: diabetes, cardiac disease, chronic alcoholism, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, end stage kidney disease. The mortality rate m…