Rickettsial Pathogens and Their Arthropod Vectors

Overview

Journal Emerg Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 1998 Jun 11

PMID 9621188

Citations 160

Authors

A F Azad

C B Beard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Rickettsial diseases, important causes of illness and death worldwide, exist primarily in endemic and enzootic foci that occasionally give rise to sporadic or seasonal outbreaks. Rickettsial pathogens are highly specialized for obligate intracellular survival in both the vertebrate host and the invertebrate vector. While studies often focus primarily on the vertebrate host, the arthropod vector is often more important in the natural maintenance of the pathogen. Consequently, coevolution of rickettsiae with arthropods is responsible for many features of the host-pathogen relationship that are unique among arthropod-borne diseases, including efficient pathogen replication, long-term maintenance of infection, and transstadial and transovarial transmission. This article examines the common features of the host-pathogen relationship and of the arthropod vectors of the typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiae.

Citing Articles

First Molecular Survey and Genetic Characterization of spp. in Ticks Infesting Dogs in Taiwan.

Shih C, Huang X, Erazo E, Chao L Microorganisms. 2025; 13(2).

PMID: 40005788 PMC: 11857873. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13020424.

A One Health Perspective on the Resurgence of Flea-Borne Typhus in Texas in the 21st Century: Part 1: The Bacteria, the Cat Flea, Urbanization, and Climate Change.

Anstead G Pathogens. 2025; 14(2).

PMID: 40005529 PMC: 11858070. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens14020154.

Prediction of potential drug targets and key inhibitors (ZINC67974679, ZINC67982856, and ZINC05668040) against using integrated computational approaches.

Rahman S, Liu H, Shah M, Almutairi M, Liaqat I, Tanaka T Front Vet Sci. 2025; 11:1507496.

PMID: 39885844 PMC: 11780677. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1507496.

Core-genome guided novel therapeutic targets identification and chimeric vaccine designing against Rickettsia rickettsii.

Arshad F, Sarfraz A, Shehroz M, Nishan U, Perveen A, Ullah R Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):921.

PMID: 39762342 PMC: 11704189. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-83395-3.

A conserved interaction between the effector Sca4 and host clathrin suggests additional contributions for Sca4 during rickettsial infection.

Vondrak C, Sit B, Suwanbongkot C, Macaluso K, Lamason R Infect Immun. 2024; 92(12):e0026724.

PMID: 39535192 PMC: 11629629. DOI: 10.1128/iai.00267-24.

References

Higgins J, Sacci Jr J, Schriefer M, Endris R, Azad A . Molecular identification of rickettsia-like microorganisms associated with colonized cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis). Insect Mol Biol. 1994; 3(1):27-33. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.1994.tb00147.x. View

Raoult D, Roux V, Ndihokubwayo J, Bise G, Baudon D, Marte G . Jail fever (epidemic typhus) outbreak in Burundi. Emerg Infect Dis. 1997; 3(3):357-60. PMC: 2627627. DOI: 10.3201/eid0303.970313. View

Munderloh U, Kurtti T . Cellular and molecular interrelationships between ticks and prokaryotic tick-borne pathogens. Annu Rev Entomol. 1995; 40:221-43. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.en.40.010195.001253. View

Pancholi P, Kolbert C, MITCHELL P, Reed Jr K, Dumler J, Bakken J . Ixodes dammini as a potential vector of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. J Infect Dis. 1995; 172(4):1007-12. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/172.4.1007. View

Walker D, Barbour A, Oliver J, Lane R, Dumler J, Dennis D . Emerging bacterial zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. Ecological and epidemiological factors. JAMA. 1996; 275(6):463-9. View

Hackstadt T . The biology of rickettsiae. Infect Agents Dis. 1996; 5(3):127-43. View

Adams W, Emmons R, Brooks J . The changing ecology of murine (endemic) typhus in Southern California. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1970; 19(2):311-8. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1970.19.311. View

BURGDORFER W, Brinton L . Mechanisms of transovarial infection of spotted fever Rickettsiae in ticks. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975; 266:61-72. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb35088.x. View

Traub R, Wisseman C . The ecology of murine typhus-a critical review. Trop Dis Bull. 1978; 75(4):237-317. View

10.

McDade J, SHEPARD C, Redus M, NEWHOUSE V, Smith J . Evidence of Rickettsia prowazekii infections in the United States. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1980; 29(2):277-84. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1980.29.277. View

11.

Farhang-Azad A, Traub R, Baqar S . Transovarial transmission of murine typhus rickettsiae in Xenopsylla cheopis fleas. Science. 1985; 227(4686):543-5. DOI: 10.1126/science.3966162. View

12.

McDade J, NEWHOUSE V . Natural history of Rickettsia rickettsii. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1986; 40:287-309. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.mi.40.100186.001443. View

13.

Azad A . Epidemiology of murine typhus. Annu Rev Entomol. 1990; 35:553-69. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.en.35.010190.003005. View

14.

VAUGHAN J, Azad A . Acquisition of murine typhus rickettsiae by fleas. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1990; 590:70-5. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1990.tb42209.x. View

15.

Dumler J, Taylor J, Walker D . Clinical and laboratory features of murine typhus in south Texas, 1980 through 1987. JAMA. 1991; 266(10):1365-70. View

16.

Azad A, Sacci Jr J, Nelson W, Dasch G, Schmidtmann E, Carl M . Genetic characterization and transovarial transmission of a typhus-like rickettsia found in cat fleas. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992; 89(1):43-6. PMC: 48171. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.89.1.43. View

17.

Williams S, Sacci Jr J, Schriefer M, Andersen E, Fujioka K, Sorvillo F . Typhus and typhuslike rickettsiae associated with opossums and their fleas in Los Angeles County, California. J Clin Microbiol. 1992; 30(7):1758-62. PMC: 265376. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.30.7.1758-1762.1992. View

18.

Sorvillo F, Gondo B, Emmons R, Ryan P, Waterman S, Tilzer A . A suburban focus of endemic typhus in Los Angeles County: association with seropositive domestic cats and opossums. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1993; 48(2):269-73. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1993.48.269. View

19.

Werren J, Hurst G, Zhang W, Breeuwer J, Stouthamer R, Majerus M . Rickettsial relative associated with male killing in the ladybird beetle (Adalia bipunctata). J Bacteriol. 1994; 176(2):388-94. PMC: 205061. DOI: 10.1128/jb.176.2.388-394.1994. View

20.

Schriefer M, Sacci Jr J, Dumler J, Bullen M, Azad A . Identification of a novel rickettsial infection in a patient diagnosed with murine typhus. J Clin Microbiol. 1994; 32(4):949-54. PMC: 267160. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.32.4.949-954.1994. View