The seroprevalence of human infection with Rickettsia slovaca, in an area of northern Spain

Abstract

An epidemiological survey was undertaken to explore human exposure to Rickettsia slovaca in two provinces of northern Spain. When IFAT were used to test 200 members of the general population for antibodies to rickettsiae of the spotted-fever group, six (3.3%) were found positive, presumably, since Dermacentor is one of the most common genera of human-biting tick in the study area, for antibodies to R. slovaca. Thirty-one (16.9%) of an additional 183 subjects who presented shortly after being bitten by ticks were also found seropositive. The difference in seroprevalence between the general and the tick-bitten populations was significant. Subject gender had no influence on seroprevalence in either population, although, in the tick-bitten group, age and occupation did have a significant influence on the prevalence recorded. Immunoblotting was used to confirm the presence of antibodies in the five subjects, all from the tick-bitten group, found to have acute infections. Three D. marginatus ticks obtained from three of these acute cases were found PCR-positive for R. slovaca DNA.