Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois, USA.
Laboratorio de Investigación en Vectores, Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018 Sep;9(6):1395-1399. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.06.008. Epub 2018 Jun 25.
Tick-borne rickettsioses pose a major health threat among vector-borne infections in Missouri but there are some uncertainties regarding the vector competence and range of tick species, as well as the virulence of certain bacterial species. A survey was developed and implemented to assess local healthcare practitioners' awareness of the prevalence and diagnosis of tick-borne diseases. In addition, ticks collected from rural areas of St. Louis County, Missouri, were evaluated to detect spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae and to determine the most common tick species present. Physician responses showed a good general awareness of tick-borne diseases and antibiotic choices but responses varied regarding length of treatment, the most common tick-borne diseases, and tick vectors. No new tick vectors were collected in the area; Rickettsia amblyommatis was the predominant SFG species, and it was detected in Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, andIxodes scapularis; Rickettsia montanensis was detected in D. variabilis. The high prevalence of Rickettsia amblyommatis in these ticks suggests that there is a high risk of exposure to this SFG rickettsial species to humans and that it may be providing some cross-protective immunity to R. rickettsii.
蜱传立克次体病在密苏里州的虫媒传染病中构成重大健康威胁，但关于媒介的易感性和蜱种范围，以及某些细菌物种的毒力，仍存在一些不确定性。开展了一项调查，并实施了一项调查，以评估当地医疗保健从业者对蜱传疾病的流行和诊断的认识。此外，评估了从密苏里州圣路易斯县农村采集的蜱，以检测斑点热群（SFG）立克次体，并确定存在的最常见的蜱种。医生的反应表明对蜱传疾病和抗生素选择有很好的一般认识，但关于治疗时间长短、最常见的蜱传疾病和蜱传媒介的反应各不相同。该地区未采集到新的蜱传媒介；安氏革蜱是主要的 SFG 物种，在美洲钝缘蜱、变色革蜱和肩突硬蜱中检测到；在变色革蜱中检测到了蒙氏立克次体。这些蜱中安氏革蜱的高流行率表明，人类接触这种 SFG 立克次体的风险很高，并且它可能为 R. rickettsii 提供一定的交叉保护免疫力。
