Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in the Pampa Biome, Brazil, 2015–2016

To the Editor: Several cases of tickborne rickettsiosis have been reported in South America in recent years (1,2). In Brazil, 2 spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species, R. rickettsii and Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic Rainforest, have been identified as causes of human disease. Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state of Brazil and the only part of the country located in the Pampa biome. Despite confirmed cases of human spotted fever in that state since 2005, little information is available regarding Rickettsia species. We report an eco-epidemiologic investigation of R. parkeri in Amblyomma tigrinum ticks on dogs from a household (and neighborhood) where a case of human spotted fever was diagnosed.