%0 Journal Article
%T Molecular evidence of Rickettsia felis infection in dogs from northern territory, Australia
%A Sze-Fui Hii
%A Steven R Kopp
%A Mary F Thompson
%A Caroline A O'Leary
%A Robert L Rees
%A Rebecca J Traub
%J Parasites & Vectors
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1756-3305-4-198
%X Rickettsioses are important emerging vector-borne diseases in humans [1], and some have been reported to infect dogs [2,3]. Rickettsioses that are purported to be endemic in Australia include murine typhus (Rickettsia typhi), Queensland tick typhus (Rickettsia australis), Flinders Island spotted fever (Rickettsia honei), scrub typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi) and Q fever (Coxiella burnetti). Cat flea typhus or flea-borne spotted fever, caused by Ricketsia felis, which was first described in humans in the USA [4], is an emerging zoonosis that has been reported from throughout the world and was recently reported in a cluster of family members in Victoria, Australia [5].The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is a reservoir and biological vector of R. felis [6]. In Australia, R. felis DNA was first identified in fleas in 2006 [7]. Very recently, a molecular study in Australia detected R. felis in 9% of 100 tested Southeast Queensland (SE QLD) pound dogs, suggesting that dogs may act as mammalian reservoir hosts for R. felis [8]. Given the close bond that exists between humans and canines, it is possible that dogs may be a potential source of R. felis infection for humans. Dogs are also important in indigenous community life, and it is therefore prudent to better understand the public health risks that may be associated with the human-animal bond in these communities. To this end, we sought to investigate the prevalence of spotted-fever group organisms in dogs from the indigenous community of Maningrida in the Northern Territory (NT), using PCR assays.Blood samples were collected from 130 dogs undergoing sterilisation facilitated by the Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC) organisation in the indigenous community of Maningrida, NT. Sixty of these dogs were tested in September 2009 and 70 in September 2010. The sampled cohort of dogs was represented by 56 entire males and 69 entire females. Data on gender were unavailable for 5 dogs. One mL o
%U http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/4/1/198