Publications

vector competence of amblyomma americanum (acari: ixodidae) for rickettsia rickettsii.	rickettsia rickettsii - the etiologic agent of rocky mountain spotted fever (rmsf) - is widely spread across the americas. in the us, dermacentor spp. ticks are identified as primary vectors of r. rickettsii and rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. has been implicated in transmission of this pathogen in several locations in the southwest. conversely, ticks of the genus amblyomma are recognized vectors of rmsf in central and south america, but not in the us. a. americanum is one of the most aggressive h ...	2017	28433728
multiple-host pathogens in domestic hunting dogs in nicaragua's bosawás biosphere reserve.	nicaragua's bosawás biosphere reserve is a vast forested area inhabited largely by indigenous mayangna and miskitu people. most bosawás residents rely on subsistence hunting and swidden agriculture, and hunting dogs are important for finding and securing wild game. we investigated the health of hunting dogs in three communities differing in location, size, and economy. dogs in all communities were nutritionally compromised and experienced a heavy burden of disease. seroprevalence of canine diste ...	2017	28012903
health survey of free-ranging raccoons (procyon lotor) in central park, new york, new york, usa: implications for human and domestic animal health.	we conducted health assessments on 113 free-ranging raccoons ( procyon lotor ) in central park, new york city, us, in february 2010, september 2010, and november 2011 in conjunction with a trap-vaccinate-release program to control a raccoon rabies epizootic. five individuals were sampled at two time points for 118 raccoon examinations in total. we tested 13 of 13 and 8 of 13 euthanized raccoons for rabies and canine distemper virus (cdv), respectively, by antigen testing on brain tissue; all wer ...	2017	28135131
first report of mild brazilian spotted fever associated to arthritis.	we describe the first brazilian case of mild rickettsiosis, complicated by knee monoarthritis, in young adult bitten by a tick on his left leg in camburi zone, located in são sebastião municipality, southern coastal region of the state of são paulo, in the atlantic rainforest region, brazil. the patient developed inoculation eschar at the tick bite site associated with enlarged lymph nodes in the left groin, fever, polyarthralgia, headache and macular rash. twenty days after tick bite episode, h ...	2017	25054603
evaluation of an association of alpha-cypermethrin and flufenoxuron for tick control in an area at risk of brazilian spotted fever.	brazilian spotted fever (bsf) is an endemic anthropozoonosis caused by gram-negative bacteria (rickettsia rickettsii) that is associated with the risk of human infection by ticks. in the city of americana, são paulo (sp), brazil, there were 12 cases (67% lethal) between 2004 and 2015. this study evaluated the effectiveness of control over tick infestations in an area at risk of bsf, in a field trial on an association of alpha-cypermethrin (3%) and flufenoxuron (3%) (tenopa(®)) conducted in ameri ...	2017	28377149
rocky mountain spotted fever in mexico: past, present, and future.	rocky mountain spotted fever, a tick-borne zoonosis caused by rickettsia rickettsii, is among the most lethal of all infectious diseases in the americas. in mexico, the disease was first described during the early 1940s by scientists who carefully documented specific environmental determinants responsible for devastating outbreaks in several communities in the states of sinaloa, sonora, durango, and coahuila. these investigators also described the pivotal roles of domesticated dogs and rhipiceph ...	2017	28365226
predictive factors for fatal tick-borne spotted fever in brazil.	in brazil, two pathogenic rickettsia species have been identified causing tick-borne spotted fever (sf). the aetiological agent rickettsia rickettsii causes serious illness, particularly in the south-eastern region of the country. moreover, the rickettsia sp. strain atlantic rainforest cause milder clinical manifestations in south-eastern, south and north-east regions. this study has sought to analyse predictive factors for fatal sf. a case-control study was performed using disease notification ...	2017	28169507
[fatal case of rickettsiosis in a toddler from southeastern mexico].	rocky mountain spotted fever is a disease caused by rickettsia rickettsii, a bacteria transmitted by infected ticks. it is characterized by fever, exanthema, arthralgias and myalgias; but sometimes its clinical presentation is non specific. due to its similarities with other exanthematic diseases like dengue or chikungunya, rocky mountain spotted fever is not a first line diagnosis, even though countries like mexico show the ecologic and socioeconomic characteristics that favor its transmission, ...	2017	28097845
proteolytic cleavage of the immunodominant outer membrane protein rompa in rickettsia rickettsii.	rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of rocky mountain spotted fever, contains two immunodominant proteins, rompa and rompb, in the outer membrane. both rompa and rompb are conserved throughout spotted fever group rickettsiae as members of a family of autotransporter proteins. previously, it was demonstrated that rompb is proteolytically processed, with the cleavage site residing near the autotransporter domain at the carboxy-terminal end of the protein, cleaving the 168-kda precursor into ...	2017	28031280
synanthropic mammals as potential hosts of tick-borne pathogens in panama.	synanthropic wild mammals can be important hosts for many vector-borne zoonotic pathogens. the aim of this study was determine the exposure of synanthropic mammals to two types of tick-borne pathogens in panama, spotted fever group rickettsia (sfgr) and borrelia relapsing fever (rf) spirochetes. one hundred and thirty-one wild mammals were evaluated, including two gray foxes, two crab-eating foxes (from zoos), four coyotes, 62 opossum and 63 spiny rats captured close to rural towns. to evaluate ...	2017	28060928