The genus Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) includes Gram-negative, small, obligate intracellular, nonmotile, pleomorphic coccobacilli bacteria transmitted by arthropods. Some of them cause human and probably also animal disease (life threatening in some patients). In these guidelines, we give clinical practice advices (microscopy, serology, molecular tools, and culture) for the microbiological study of these microorganisms in clinical samples. Since in our environment rickettsioses are mainly transmitted by ticks, practical information for the identification of these arthropods and for the study of Rickettsia infections in ticks has also been added.

CEITEC VFU University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Brno Czech Republic

Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal

Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod Borne Diseases Hospital San Pedro CIBIR Logroño Spain

Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Brno Czech Republic

Department of Veterinary Sciences University of Torino Grugliasco Italy

National Centre for Vector Entomology Institute of Parasitology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland

National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge Águas de Moura Portugal

Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes Institut Hospitalo Universitaire Méditerranée Infection Marseille France

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org

Neglected aspects of tick-borne rickettsioses