Definition Rickettsial diseases are emerging infectious diseases. Because of better diagnostic tools, increased awareness, and changes in tick exposure, new rickettsial diseases continue to be described in recent years. Three families of diseases are grouped under rickettsioses: ehrlichioses and anaplasmoses…
Definition Bartonella are vector-borne bacteria responsible for a wide spectrum of human acute and chronic diseases. More than 40 different bacterial species from this genus have been isolated from animals and humans. The human infections linked to these different bacteria…
Q fever remains an intriguing disease despite being studied for more than 80 years. Molecular diagnostics and genomic analysis are adding to our understanding of the disease. The large outbreak in the Netherlands, other outbreaks, and longitudinal studies from France…
Rickettsialpox is a worldwide mite-borne rickettsiosis presenting as a febrile and vesicular eruption. It is caused by Rickettsia akari, associated with mice, and transmitted by its ectoparasite, the mite Liponyssoides sanguineus. Etiology Rickettsia akari is classified among spotted fever group…
Bacteriology Originally, all small gram-negative bacteria, associated (or not) with arthropods and strictly or facultatively intracellular, were considered Rickettsiaceae. The advent of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and phylogeny has deeply challenged this classification. The controversy has centered on how…