Seroprevalence of Spp. and in Indigenous Populations from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.

spp. are vector-borne zoonotic pathogens that cause febrile illness in humans. Rickettsioses is not included in the Colombian national surveillance system and is subsequently expected to be underreported. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of spp. and the closely related in two indigenous populations residing in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Serum samples ( = 539) were collected from the Wiwa and Koguis people between 2021 and 2022. Serum samples were screened for spotted fever group (SFG) and typhus group (TG) spp. using the Fuller laboratories IgG IFA kit and for with the Scrub Typhus Detect™ IgG ELISA. We observed an overall seroprevalence of 26.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22.5-30.1] for spp. of the SFG, 5.4% (95% CI 3.6-7.6) for spp. of the TG and 4.3% (95% CI 2.7-6.3) for . Common risk factors for zoonotic disease infections were assessed for 147 of the Wiwa participants. Increased odds of seropositivity for SFG spp. were observed for Wiwa participants who cared for livestock, including assisting with the birth of cattle (odds ratio [OR] = 8.85; 95% CI 1.54-50.90; = 0.015) and goats (OR = 7.60; 95% CI 1.70-33.90; = 0.008). These results highlight a notable exposure to spp., especially the SFG, in rural Colombia. Together with recent reports of high mortality for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in nearby regions of South America, more detailed investigations focusing on improving knowledge and awareness as well as "One Health" and "causes-of-fever" studies are needed. The characterization of spp. infections in humans, livestock, and tick vectors with their potential transmission routes could make a high impact on these easily treatable diseases.