Foley Janet, Backus Laura, López-Pérez Andrés M
1School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.
2Animal Science Department, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2025 Jan 29;263(3):293-300. doi: 10.2460/javma.24.11.0756. Print 2025 Mar 1.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) kills people and dogs in rural communities throughout the Americas and in urban epidemics in Brazil and Mexico. The companion Currents in One Health by Foley et al, AJVR , March 2025, addresses the urban ecology of this devastating disease across the Americas. Cases acquired from Dermacentor spp ticks are sylvatic and sporadic, in contrast with peridomestic cases from Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, which relies on dogs as hosts. Since the early 2000s, RMSF reemerged in northern Mexico with at least 9,152 human cases and case mortality up to 50%. These cases tend to occur where people are impoverished and have marginal access to medical care. Data on RMSF in dogs are sparse, although dogs are sentinels for human risk. The presence of roaming dogs in neighborhoods is associated with human cases, canine seroprevalence, and tick abundance. Dogs and people share hematological and clinical chemical findings and results of targeted diagnostic tests. Diagnosis requires PCR confirmation or rising convalescent titers, although seropositivity can be a cross-reaction with other rickettsial organisms. Suspect cases should be treated with doxycycline immediately. Coinfection with other R sanguineus -transmitted pathogens is common. Veterinarians in clinical practice can help families manage RMSF risk with client education and provide tick preventive medication, although the considerable cost is a barrier. Veterinarians can also advise how to manage tick infestations in a home, recognizing that eradicating R. sanguineus is very difficult. To reduce roaming and canine population sizes, veterinarians should promote canine spay, neuter, and restraint to the home.
落基山斑疹热（RMSF）在美洲各地的农村社区以及巴西和墨西哥的城市疫情中导致人和狗死亡。Foley等人于2025年3月发表在《美国兽医研究杂志》上的《同一健康潮流》探讨了这种毁灭性疾病在美洲的城市生态。从革蜱属蜱虫感染的病例为森林型且呈散发性，与之形成对比的是，来自广义血红扇头蜱的家栖型病例，这种蜱以狗为宿主。自21世纪初以来，RMSF在墨西哥北部再度出现，至少有9152例人类病例，病例死亡率高达50%。这些病例往往发生在贫困且难以获得医疗服务的人群中。关于狗患RMSF的数据稀少，尽管狗是人类风险的哨兵。社区中有流浪狗与人类病例、犬类血清阳性率以及蜱虫数量有关。狗和人在血液学和临床化学检查结果以及靶向诊断测试结果方面存在共性。诊断需要PCR确认或恢复期滴度升高，尽管血清阳性可能是与其他立克次体生物的交叉反应。疑似病例应立即用强力霉素治疗。与其他由血红扇头蜱传播的病原体合并感染很常见。临床实践中的兽医可以通过对客户进行教育来帮助家庭管理RMSF风险，并提供蜱虫预防药物，尽管成本高昂是一个障碍。兽医还可以就如何管理家中的蜱虫侵扰提供建议，要认识到根除血红扇头蜱非常困难。为了减少流浪狗数量和犬类总体数量，兽医应提倡对犬类进行绝育、去势，并将其限制在家中饲养。
