Serological evidence of Rickettsia infections in forestry rangers in north-eastern Italy

Abstract

The prevalence of antibodies to Rickettsiae and other tick-borne microrganisms in the sera of 181 forestry rangers from Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy, was examined. Seven (3.9%) sera were positive for Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia helvetica, as single or dual infections; four of these sera had been found previously to be positive for Borrelia burgdorferi. Antibodies to Coxiella burnetii were detected in five (2.8%) sera, four of which were also positive for B. burgdorferi. These findings indicate that patients in this north-eastern Italian region with fever subsequent to tick-bite should be investigated for Rickettsia and Coxiella infections.

Seroprevalence and occupational risk survey for Coxiella burnetii among exposed workers in Sicily, Southern Italy

“…Few data are reported in Italy on the seroprevalence of C. burnetii in humans [15][16][17][18] air filter systems in housing and movement controls) are effective in reducing infection risk [19].…”

Detection and identification of Rickettsia species in Ixodes tick populations from Estonia

“…R. helvetica was first isolated from I. ricinus in Switzerland in 1979(Beati et al, 1993 and has later been identified in I. ricinus collected in Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Bulgaria, and Portugal (reviewed by Parola et al, 2013). The first fatal case, in which R. helvetica was implicated, was reported in Sweden in 1999 (Nilsson et al, 1999), and later human cases have been demonstrated also in other European countries (Cinco et al, 2006;Fournier et al, 2000;Nilsson et al, 2010). The distribution of R. helvetica is not limited to Europe but extends to Japan and the Far-East of Russia, where this pathogen has been detected also in I. ovatus and in I. persulcatus (Fournier et al, 2002;Inokuma et al, 2007;Movila et al, 2011;Nefedova et al, 2008;Shpynov et al, 2005).…”

Pilot Study Assessing the Effectiveness of Long-Lasting Permethrin-Impregnated Clothing for the Prevention of Tick Bites

“…There is a large body of literature that documents the increased risk of acquiring tick-borne diseases among outdoor workers, primarily among forestry workers, farmers, and park rangers (Munchhoff et al 1987, Smith et al 1988, Baird et al 1989, Guy et al 1989, Nadal et al 1989, Goldstein et alet al 2001, Covert and Langley 2002, Piacentino and Schwartz 2002, Niscigorska et al 2003, Santino et al 2004, Zwolinski et al 2004, Tomao et al 2005, Adamek et al 2006, Cinco et al 2006, Dybowska et al 2007, Kaya et al 2008. The methods of tick bite prevention recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH 2008) for outdoor workers include the following: wearing light-colored protective clothing, tucking pants into socks or boots, regular application of insect repellant to exposed skin, spraying work clothing with permethrin, and daily tick checks.…”