First report of Rickettsia raoultii and Rickettsia helvetica in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from the Czech Republic

Abstract Tick-borne rickettsioses nowadays present a significant health threat among emerging tick-borne infections. In the study, we screened a total of 997 questing adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (576 females and 421 males) collected in Southern Moravia (Czech Republic) from April to September of 2010 and 2011 for the presence of human pathogenic rickettsiae. Here we provide the first evidence on the occurrence of human pathogenic Rickettsia raoultii in the local D. reticulatus population indicating possible future emergence of Dermacentor -borne necrotic erythema and lymphadenopathy (DEBONEL) in the region.