{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:36:43Z","timestamp":1789000603696,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,5,15]],"date-time":"2009-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1242345600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Appl Environ Microbiol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2009,5,15]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Rickettsia helvetica<\/jats:italic>, a tick-borne member of the spotted-fever-group rickettsiae, is a suspected pathogen in humans; however, its role in animals is unknown. The aims of this study were to establish a<jats:italic>R. helvetica<\/jats:italic>-specific real-time TaqMan PCR assay and apply it to the analysis of tick vectors (to determine potential exposure risk) and blood samples from<jats:italic>Canidae<\/jats:italic>and humans (to determine prevalence of infection). The newly designed 23S rRNA gene assay for<jats:italic>R. helvetica<\/jats:italic>was more sensitive than a published citrate synthase gene (<jats:italic>gltA<\/jats:italic>) assay for several rickettsiae. Blood samples from 884 dogs, 58 foxes, and 214 human patients and 2,073 ticks (<jats:italic>Ixodes<\/jats:italic>spp.) collected from either vegetation or animals were analyzed. Although the maximal likelihood estimate of prevalence was 12% in unfed ticks and 36% in ticks collected from animals, none of the 1,156 blood samples tested PCR positive. Ticks from cats were more frequently PCR positive than ticks from dogs. Sequencing of the 23S rRNA and\/or the<jats:italic>gltA<\/jats:italic>gene of 17 tick pools confirmed the presence of<jats:italic>R. helvetica<\/jats:italic>. Additionally,<jats:italic>Rickettsia monacensis<\/jats:italic>, which has not been previously found in Switzerland, was identified. In conclusion,<jats:italic>R. helvetica<\/jats:italic>was frequently detected in the tick population but not in blood samples. Nevertheless, due to the broad host range of<jats:italic>Ixodes<\/jats:italic>ticks and the high rate of infestation with this agent (i.e.,<jats:italic>R. helvetica<\/jats:italic>was 13 times more frequent in unfed ticks than the tick-borne encephalitis virus), many mammals may be exposed to<jats:italic>R. helvetica<\/jats:italic>. The PCR assay described here represents an important tool for studying this topic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.00220-09","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,3,30]],"date-time":"2009-03-30T16:25:29Z","timestamp":1238430329000},"page":"3230-3237","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":93,"title":["Molecular Investigations of<i>Rickettsia helvetica<\/i>Infection in Dogs, Foxes, Humans, and<i>Ixodes<\/i>Ticks"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"75","author":[{"given":"Felicitas S.","family":"Boretti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Perreten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marina L.","family":"Meli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valentino","family":"Cattori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Willi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"},{"name":"Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicole","family":"Wengi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S\u00e1ndor","family":"Hornok","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent Istv\u00e1n University, Budapest, Hungary"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanspeter","family":"Honegger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Medical Oncology, Triemli Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Hegglin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roman","family":"Woelfel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia E.","family":"Reusch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hans","family":"Lutz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Regina","family":"Hofmann-Lehmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1055\/s-2003-39103"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid0809.020600"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1196\/annals.1374.003"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","unstructured":"An introduction to medical statistics. 2000"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"70","DOI":"10.2460\/ajvr.1988.49.01.70","volume":"49","year":"1988","unstructured":"Breitschwerdt, E. 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