RESUMO
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis are tick-borne diseases that are reported annually in Kentucky. We conducted a survey to describe infection prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected in Kentucky. During 2007-2008, we collected 287 ticks (179 D. variabilis and 108 A. americanum) from canine, feral hog, horse, raccoon, white-tailed deer, and human hosts in six counties in Kentucky. Ticks were screened for Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., and Ehrlichia spp. by using polymerase chain reaction. Forty-one (14.3%) ticks (31 A. americanum and 10 D. variabilis) were polymerase chain reaction-positive for a Rickettsia spp. Fourteen (4.9%) ticks (6 A. americanum and 8 D. variabilis) were positive for E. chaffeensis, and 4 A. americanum (1.4%) were positive for E. ewingii. One (0.4%) A. americanum was positive for Borrelia lonestari. Although Rocky Mountain spotted fever is diagnosed in Kentucky, no R. rickettsii was found in ticks in this study.
Assuntos
Vetores Aracnídeos , Doenças Transmitidas por Carrapatos/microbiologia , Carrapatos/microbiologia , Animais , Borrelia/genética , Borrelia/isolamento & purificação , Ehrlichia/genética , Ehrlichia/isolamento & purificação , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Prevalência , Rickettsiaceae/genética , Rickettsiaceae/isolamento & purificação , Especificidade da Espécie , Carrapatos/classificaçãoRESUMO
Ochlerotatus j. japonicus (Theobald) was first collected and identified in 2003 from CDC gravid trap collections in Boone, Campbell, and Wolfe counties, Kentucky. Subsequent collections during 2004 and 2005 indicate that the species has become established in Boone, Campbell, Fayette, Fleming, Grant, Jefferson, and Kenton counties.
