Publications

genome sequence of rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia, the agent of astrakhan fever.	rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia is the agent of astrakhan fever, a spotted fever group rickettsiosis endemic to astrakhan, russia. the present study reports the draft genome of rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia strain a-167.	22887666
rickettsia typhi in rodents and r. felis in fleas in yucatán as a possible causal agent of undefined febrile cases.	rickettsia typhi is the causal agent of murine typhus; a worldwide zoonotic and vector-borne infectious disease, commonly associated with the presence of domestic and wild rodents. human cases of murine typhus in the state of yucatán are frequent. however, there is no evidence of the presence of rickettsia typhi in mammals or vectors in yucatán. the presence of rickettsia in rodents and their ectoparasites was evaluated in a small municipality of yucatán using the conventional polymerase chain r ...	25923891
forest refugia in western and central africa as 'museums' of mesozoic biodiversity.	the refugial speciation model, or 'species pump', is widely accepted in the context of tropical biogeography and has been advocated as an explanation for present species distributions in tropical western and central africa. in order to test this hypothesis, a phylogeny of the cryptic arachnid order ricinulei, based on four nuclear and mitochondrial dna markers, was inferred. this ancient clade of litter-dwelling arthropods, endemic to the primary forests of western and central africa and the neo ...	23193047
distribution of ticks (acari: ixodidae) infesting domestic ruminants in mountainous areas of golestan province, iran.	to determine the prevalence of ticks on cattle in the mountainous areas of golestan province and their geographical distribution.	25183090
ectoparasite infestations and canine infection by rickettsiae and ehrlichiae in a semi-arid region of northeastern brazil.	this study investigated the prevalence of rickettsia spp. and ehrlichia canis infection in dogs and their ectoparasites from rural and urban areas of two municipalities, petrolina and juazeiro, within a semiarid region (caatinga biome) of northeastern brazil, by immunofluorescence assay (ifa) and polymerase chain reaction (pcr). overall, 12.1% (61/504) and 23.0% (116/504) of canine plasma samples had antibodies reactive to rickettsia spp. and e. canis. e. canis dna was detected by pcr in 8.3% (4 ...	26565771
tick-borne rickettsial pathogens in questing ticks, removed from humans and animals in mexico.	tick-borne rickettsial diseases (tbrd) are commonly encountered in medical and veterinary clinical settings. the control of these diseases is difficult, requiring disruption of a complex transmission chain involving a vertebrate host and ticks. the geographical distribution of the diseases is related to distribution of the vector, which is an indicator of risk for the population. a total of 1107 were collected by tick drag from forests, ecotourism parks and hosts at 101 sites in 22 of the 32 sta ...	26726019
spotted fever group rickettsia in the pampa biome, brazil, 2015-2016.		27767913
high prevalence of rickettsia spp. infections in small mammals in taiwan.	surveillance for rickettsia spp. is urgently needed due to the recent emergence of many novel rickettsioses around the globe, but previous studies in taiwan have been limited to small areas and no investigation of infections in vertebrate hosts has ever been attempted. we surveyed rickettsial infections systematically in small-mammal hosts trapped between 2006 and 2010 throughout taiwan. fragments of ompb and glta genes in the liver, spleen, and kidney of mammals were targeted by nested polymera ...	25629776
cofeeding intra- and interspecific transmission of an emerging insect-borne rickettsial pathogen.	cat fleas (ctenocephalides felis) are known as the primary vector and reservoir of rickettsia felis, the causative agent of flea-borne spotted fever; however, field surveys regularly report molecular detection of this infectious agent from other blood-feeding arthropods. the presence of r. felis in additional arthropods may be the result of chance consumption of an infectious bloodmeal, but isolation of viable rickettsiae circulating in the blood of suspected vertebrate reservoirs has not been d ...	26414611
feeding period required by amblyomma aureolatum ticks for transmission of rickettsia rickettsii to vertebrate hosts.	rocky mountain spotted fever is endemic to the são paulo metropolitan area, brazil, where the etiologic agent, rickettsia rickettsii, is transmitted to humans by adult amblyomma aureolatum ticks. we determined the minimal feeding period required by a. aureolatum nymphs and adults to transmit r. rickettsii to guinea pigs. unfed nymphs and unfed adult ticks had to be attached to the host for >10 hours to transmit r. rickettsii. in contrast, fed ticks needed a minimum of 10 minutes of attachment to ...	25148391
rickettsia and vector biodiversity of spotted fever focus, atlantic rain forest biome, brazil.		24565262
update on tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: a geographic approach.	tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus rickettsia. these zoonoses are among the oldest known vector-borne diseases. however, in the past 25 years, the scope and importance of the recognized tick-associated rickettsial pathogens have increased dramatically, making this complex of diseases an ideal paradigm for the understanding of emerging and reemerging infections. several species of tick-borne rickettsiae that wer ...	24092850
general properties and phylogenetic utilities of nuclear ribosomal dna and mitochondrial dna commonly used in molecular systematics.	to choose one or more appropriate molecular markers or gene regions for resolving a particular systematic question among the organisms at a certain categorical level is still a very difficult process. the primary goal of this review, therefore, is to provide a theoretical information in choosing one or more molecular markers or gene regions by illustrating general properties and phylogenetic utilities of nuclear ribosomal dna (rdna) and mitochondrial dna (mtdna) that have been most commonly used ...	10634037
intravascular hemolysis associated with candidatus mycoplasma hematoparvum in a non-splenectomized dog in the south region of iran.	a 2-year-old male pekingese dog was referred to shiraz university's veterinary teaching hospital for anorexia and depression. the case had no history of surgery. physical examination revealed no abnormalities except mild depression and fever. small, coccoid, epicellular bacteria were detected on erythrocytes by microscopic examination of the giemsa-stained blood smears. abnormalities noted in the complete blood count included regenerative anemia characterized by a marked reticulocytosis. examina ...	25568726
molecular investigation of hemotropic mycoplasmas in human beings, dogs and horses in a rural settlement in southern brazil.	the aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of hemoplasmas in a rural brazilian settlement's population of human beings, their dogs and horses, highly exposed to tick bites; to identify the tick species parasitizing dogs and horses, and analyze factors associated with their infection. blood samples from 132 dogs, 16 horses and 100 humans were screened using a pan-hemoplasma sybr green real-time pcr assay followed by a species-specific taqman real-time pcr. a total of 59/132 (44.7%) d ...	26422162
asymptomatic petechial eruption on the lower legs.	the authors report an unusual case of rocky mountain spotted fever that presented as an asymptomatic petechial eruption on the lower legs. rocky mountain spotted fever is rare in new england and, as such, is typically not on the differential diagnosis when presented with such patients. what began as an asymptomatic eruption progressed to more classic signs of the disease, including a positive rocky mountain spotted fever titer. the patient was successfully treated with doxycydine and within a sh ...	24062875
genome sequence of rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis, the agent of israeli spotted fever.	rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis is the agent of israeli spotted fever. the present study reports the draft genome of rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis strain istt cdc1, isolated from a rhipicephalus sanguineus tick collected in israel.	22933760
genome sequence of rickettsia conorii subsp. indica, the agent of indian tick typhus.	rickettsia conorii subsp. indica is the agent of indian tick typhus. the present study reports the draft genome of rickettsia conorii subsp. indica strain ittr (atcc vr-597).	22628514
multiple live subconjunctival dipetalonema: report of a case.	parasitic infestations of the eye have been reported since centuries, affecting various parts of the eye. some are subtle, coexisting with vision, while many others damage and destroy, in part or totally, the gift of sight. this report describes a patient with live subconjunctival dipetalonema infestation of the right eye, with 22 parasites removed live in one sitting from one eye.	22569390
spotted fever group rickettsiae in questing ticks, central spain.		23763913
transovarial transmission of babesia ovis by rhipicephalus sanguineus and hyalomma marginatum.	rhipicephalus sanguineus and hyalomma marginatum are the most common species in sheep herds in northeast of iran. there is preliminary evidence that these species may be the vectors of babesia ovis in iran. we carried out two experiments in mashhad area, khorasan razavi province to determine whether b. ovis could be transovarially transmitted by r. sanguineus and h. marginatum.	22347253
morphology, epidemiology, and phylogeny of babesia: an overview.	babesiosis is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease of domestic and wild animals. the disease is caused by various species of babesia and some species of babesia have also zoonotic significance. the parasite in vertebrate hosts' remains in erythrocytes and the morphology of babesia spp. is not uniform in all vertebrate hosts. with the advancement of science, particularly the use of molecular techniques made it easy to study the evolution of parasites and thereby reclassifying babesia spp. as per th ...	26629451
efficacy of tagetes minuta (asteraceae) essential oil against rhipicephalus sanguineus (acari: ixodidae) on infested dogs and in vitro.	ticks from rhipicephalus sanguineus complex are widely distributed in the world and one species from this complex is the most common tick on dogs in brazil, notably in urban areas. this tick is a vector of several diseases. among others it transmits the agent of canine ehrlichiosis, a major dog infectious disease and the agent of rocky mountain spotted fever. this tick can spread rapidly and develop intolerable infestations within no time. currently tick control is done with acaricides and deman ...	27815656
in vitro repellency of deet and β-citronellol against the ticks rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato and amblyomma sculptum.	rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato and amblyomma sculptum can parasite humans and domestic animals and are vectors of pathogens, including zoonoses. repellents are an important tool of tick control. this study aimed to compare the efficacy of n,n-diethyl- 3-methylbenzamide (deet), a standard repellent, versus β-citronellol in a petri dish bioassay. a semicircle of filter paper (31.8cm(2)) was treated with 87μl of one of four concentrations (0.200, 0.100, 0.050 and 0.025mg/cm(2)) of β-citronello ...	28495195