Ecology and epidemiology of spotted fever group Rickettsiae and new data from their study in Russia and Kazakhstan

Abstract

Rickettsiae represent a wide range of pathogenicity from classic and new pathogens to endosymbionts of eukaryotic cells. Recent studies of rickettsiae have widened the number of representatives of genus Rickettsia, especially in the spotted fever group (SFG). Rickettsiae of SFG are tick-borne microorganisms with effective transovarial and transstadial transmission. The main hosts are ticks (Dermacentor, Rhipicephalus, Haemophysalis, Ixodes, and Amlyomma). Strategy of maintenance of tick microorganisms is vector-type transfer and tropism to endothelial cells or blood cells of animals. The main epidemiological characteristics of SFG rickettsioses are different kinds of anthropogenic activity and connection of morbidity with seasonal tick activity. Two other important characteristics are quantitative and qualitative heterogeneity of its populations (different genotypes of Rickettsia in the same territory and species of ticks, for example) and coexistence of different tick microorganisms (rickettsiae, borreliae, ehrlichiae, tick-borne encephalitis complex viruses, etc.). The role of new rickettsial genotypes in infectious diseases is poorly understood. Simultaneous study of ticks after bites, blood and skin biopsies of patients may be used for detection of spectrum of tick-borne pathogens in mixed natural foci. Interference between rickettsiae with different virulence may affect its populations and levels of morbidity.