Rickettsia slovaca and rickettsia raoultii in dermacentor marginatus ticks collected on wild boars in Tuscany, Italy

During the hunting season 2007-2008,494 Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer) ticks were collected from 109 hunter-killed wild boars, Sus scrofa, in Lucca's province, Tuscany, Italy. Rickettsia slovaca, the causative agent of tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA), was detected in 32.1% of ticks tested (n = 112) by using polymerase chain reaction primers targeting gltA, ompA, and ompB rickettsial genes. Moreover, Rickettsia raoultii was found for the first time in Italy, with 1.8% infection prevalence. This study confirms the risk posed to humans by ticks and tick-borne pathogens in the study area, where cases of spotted fever rickettsiosis (TIBOLA) are reported.

Selmi, M., Martello, E., Bertolotti, L., Bisanzio, D., & Tomassone, L. (2009). Rickettsia slovaca and rickettsia raoultii in dermacentor marginatus ticks collected on wild boars in Tuscany, Italy. Journal of Medical Entomology, 46(6), 1490-1493.