{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T07:55:33Z","timestamp":1789199733181,"version":"build-2803163510"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011273","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,8]],"date-time":"2023-08-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1691452800000}}],"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,27]],"date-time":"2023-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1690416000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000774","name":"Defense Threat Reduction Agency","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["HDTRA1-15-1-0043"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["HDTRA1-15-1-0043"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000774","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100014035","name":"Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PROMIS ID P0038_22_KY"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PROMIS ID P0038_22_KY"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100014035","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:p><jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> microorganisms are causative agents of several neglected emerging infectious diseases in humans transmitted by arthropods including ticks. In this study, ticks were collected from four geographical regions of Uganda and pooled in sizes of 1\u2013179 ticks based on location, tick species, life stage, host, and time of collection. Then, they were tested by real-time PCR for <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> species with primers targeting <jats:italic>gltA<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>17kDa<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>omp<\/jats:italic>A genes, followed by Sanger sequencing of the <jats:italic>17kDa<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>ompA<\/jats:italic> genes. Of the 471 tick pools tested, 116 (24.6%) were positive for <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> spp. by the <jats:italic>gltA<\/jats:italic> primers. The prevalence of <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> varied by district with Gulu recording the highest (30.1%) followed by Luwero (28.1%) and Kasese had the lowest (14%). Tick pools from livestock (cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs) had the highest positivity rate, 26.9%, followed by vegetation, 23.1%, and pets (dogs and cats), 19.7%. Of 116 <jats:italic>gltA<\/jats:italic>-positive tick pools, 86 pools were positive using <jats:italic>17kDa<\/jats:italic> primers of which 48 purified PCR products were successfully sequenced. The predominant <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> spp. identified was <jats:italic>R<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>africae<\/jats:italic> (n = 15) in four tick species, followed by <jats:italic>R<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>conorii<\/jats:italic> (n = 5) in three tick species (<jats:italic>Haemaphysalis elliptica<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Rhipicephalus appendiculatus<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Rh<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>decoloratus<\/jats:italic>). <jats:italic>Rickettsia conorii<\/jats:italic> subsp. <jats:italic>israelensis<\/jats:italic> was detected in one tick pool. These findings indicate that multiple <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> spp. capable of causing human illness are circulating in the four diverse geographical regions of Uganda including new strains previously known to occur in the Mediterranean region. Physicians should be informed about <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> spp. as potential causes of acute febrile illnesses in these regions. Continued and expanded surveillance is essential to further identify and locate potential hotspots with <jats:italic>Rickettsia<\/jats:italic> spp. of concern.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011273","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,27]],"date-time":"2023-07-27T17:54:56Z","timestamp":1690480496000},"page":"e0011273","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Wide distribution of Mediterranean and African spotted fever agents and the first identification of Israeli spotted fever agent in ticks in 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