Infection Rates and Characterisation of Rickettsia africae (Rickettsiaceae) Detected in Amblyomma Species from Southern Africa.

ABSTRACT: Tick-borne rickettsioses are considered among the oldest known vector-borne zoonotic diseases. Among the rickettsiae, Rickettsia africae is the most reported and important in Africa, as it is the aetiological agent of African tick bite fever (ATBF). Studies describing the prevalence of R. africae in southern Africa are fragmented, as they are limited to small geographical areas and focused on Amblyomma hebraeum and Amblyomma variegatum as vectors. Amblyomma spp. ticks were collected in Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe during the sampling period from March 2020 to September 2022. Rickettsia africae was detected using the ompA gene, while characterisation was conducted using omp, ompA, ompB and

SUBMITTER: Smit A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11357051 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature