BACKGROUND: @entity7545 are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae. Although Spotted @entity221 is prevalent in the Middle East, no reports for the presence of tick-borne pathogens are available or any studies on the epidemiology of this disease in the West Bank. We aimed to identify the circulating hard tick vectors and genetically characterize SFG @entity39340 species in ixodid ticks from the West Bank-Palestinian territories. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 1,123 ixodid ticks belonging to eight species (Haemaphysalis parva, Haemaphysalis adleri, @entity278 turanicus, @entity278 , @entity278 bursa, Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma aegyptium and Hyalomma impeltatum) were collected from @entity1237 , @entity742 , @entity20770 , @entity235 , a wolf, a @entity1641 and a tortoise in different localities throughout the West Bank during the period of January-April, 2014. A total of 867 ticks were screened for the presence of rickettsiae by PCR targeting a partial sequence of the ompA gene followed by sequence analysis. Two additional genes, 17 kDa and 16SrRNA were also targeted for further characterization of the detected @entity39340 species. Rickettsial DNA was detected in 148 out of the 867 (17%) tested ticks. The infection rates in Rh. turanicus, Rh. sanguineus, H. adleri, H. parva, H. dromedarii, and H. impeltatum ticks were 41.7, 11.6, 16.7, 16.2, 11.8 and 20%, respectively. None of the ticks, belonging to the species Rh. bursa and H. aegyptium, were infected. Four SFG rickettsiae were identified: @entity39340 massiliae, @entity39340 africae, Candidatus @entity39340 barbariae and Candidatus @entity39340 goldwasserii. SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study demonstrate the geographic distribution of SFG rickettsiae and clearly indicate the presence of at least four of them in collected ticks. Palestinian clinicians should be aware of emerging @entity7545 in the West Bank, particularly @entity281 due to @entity39340 and @entity26357 .

Molecular Detection and Identification of Spotted XXXX Group Rickettsiae in Ticks Collected from the West Bank, Palestinian Territories.

@entity1641 :: ('9796', 'Species') :: ['horse'] @entity20770 :: ('9838', 'Species') :: ['camels'] @entity742 :: ('9940', 'Species') :: ['sheep'] @entity235 :: ('9615', 'Species') :: ['dogs'] @entity221 :: ('MESH:D005334', 'Disease') :: ['Fever'] @entity26357 :: ('35788', 'Species') :: ['R. africae'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['infections'] @entity278 :: ('34632', 'Species') :: ['Rhipicephalus sanguineus', 'Rhipicephalus'] @entity39340 :: ('35791', 'Species') :: ['R. massiliae', 'Rickettsia'] @entity1237 :: ('9925', 'Species') :: ['goats'] @entity7545 :: ('MESH:D017282', 'Disease') :: ['Tick-borne rickettsioses', 'tick-borne diseases']
@entity221 :: (MESH:D005334,Disease) :: ['Fever']
