Rickettsia spp. in finnish ixodid ticks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rickettsia spp. are intracellular, arthropod-borne bacteria pathogenic to humans and animals. The clinical manifestations of rickettsial infections range from mild to severe, but diagnosis is sometimes missed owing to mild symptoms or empirical antibiotic treatment for suspected tick-borne diseases. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in ticks across Finland, explore possible regional variations, identify the infecting Rickettsia species, and assess rickettsial exposure of certain human patients.

Methods

We analysed 5101 ticks from 20 locations, collected by flagging, crowdsourcing, or removal from pet cats and dogs between 2003 and 2021 in three study sets. Tick species were determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR), Sanger sequencing, or

SUBMITTER: Vauhkonen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12642282 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature