Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Mississippi: survey for spotted fever antibodies in dogs and for spotted fever group reckettsiae in dog ticks

Abstract

During epidemiologic studies of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Mississippi in 1973, dogs were surveyed for antibodies tp spotted fever group antigens and for tick parasites infected with rickettsiae of the spotted fever group. Fifty-three (46%) of 116 serum samples had complement-fixing antibody titers greater than or equal to 1:8 as compared to only one (5%) of 21 samples from a group of dogs obtained from metropolitan Chicage. Fifty-two per cent of the dogs tested from Mississippi had microagglutinating antibodies titers greater than or equal to 1:8; 9% of dogs from Chicago had similar titers. Rickettsia rickettsii was demonstrated in only one (0.8%) of 129 Dermacentor variabilis removed from Mississippi dogs. Quite unexpectedly, 167 (18.9%) of 884 Rhipicephalus sanguineus taken from these dogs contained spotted fever group rickettsiae.