DOI: 10.5061/dryad.0p2ngf2f8
title: Data from: Beyond Rocky Mountain spotted fever: Investigation of the presence and diversity of spotted fever <em>Rickettsia</em> species in ticks submitted from forestry workers

description: Ticks present a significant risk to people in the southern United States,
 particularly those who spend time outdoors, as they can transmit agents
 that cause various diseases. This study evaluated the risk of exposure to
 ticks positive for spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species among
 forestry workers. From 2017 to 2021, forestry workers passively collected
 ticks during field surveys for the USDA Forest Service's Forest
 Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. We screened 1395 ticks for
 SFG-Rickettsia, including Amblyomma americanum (51.5% positive, N=1,279),
 A. maculatum (40% positive, N=10), and Dermacentor variabilis (22.6%,
 N=106). The agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, R. rickettsii, was not
 detected; however, seven different SFG Rickettsia species were identified.
 Rickettsia amblyommatis was the most common, present in 95.7% of A.
 americanum ticks. The pathogenic R. parkeri was rarely found in two A.
 americanum nymphs and two A. maculatum males. Several Rickettsia species,
 such as R. montanensis, R. monacensis, Candidatus R. andeanae, and R.
 tamurae subsp. buchneri were identified in D. variabilis. Some of
 these species are suspected to be pathogenic. Rickettsia-positive ticks
 were detected year-round, with the highest prevalence in Tennessee and
 Kentucky, possibly due to larger sample submissions, which may have
 increased detection rates. Dermacentor variabilis were less likely to be
 Rickettsia-positive compared to A. americanum. Male ticks were less likely
 to carry Rickettsia than females and nymphs. The presence of
 Rickettsia-positive ticks found in this study poses a risk to forestry
 workers, emphasizing the importance of ongoing surveillance and education
 to prevent tick-borne infections.
description: # Data from: Beyond Rocky Mountain spotted fever: Investigation of the
 presence and diversity of spotted fever *Rickettsia* species in ticks
 submitted from forestry workers Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.0p2ngf2f8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0p2ngf2f8) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Forestry workers within the
 USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
 program conducted a multi-year, geographically extensive passive
 surveillance of ticks found by forest crews routinely working in wooded
 environments. Before starting the tick collections, forest crews reviewed
 a comprehensive safety lecture focused on tick precautions. Held in spring
 2014, the first year of the study, the lecture emphasized safety measures.
 Forest inventory and analysis crew members volunteered for passive tick
 collection. They received tick collection kits, which included an
 instructional guide on tick removal, vials filled with 80% ethanol, and
 forceps for handling ticks. Our tick surveillance was entirely passive,
 relying solely on ticks found on the crew members themselves. Crew members
 were instructed to collect only the ticks they personally encountered and
 found attached or unattached on themselves, explicitly not collecting any
 ticks from nearby vegetation. These ticks were then placed in the provided
 70% ethanol vials. Ticks collected by each crew were then sent to the FIA
 headquarters for initial processing before being forwarded to the
 University of Tennessee Medical and Veterinary Entomology Laboratory for
 further identification and testing. Ticks were identified at the
 laboratory by species, life stage, and sex using published dichotomous
 keys ### Files and variables #### File:
 FIA_Final_Dataset_To_Be_Uploaded_VK_20251007.csv **Description:**  #####
 Variables * No.: Individual tick number * Date Collected: Date the tick
 was found (Year-month-day) * Year: Year the tick was found * Month: Name
 of Month  * Epiweek: Epidemiological week for that specific calendar year
 * State: State the ticks were found * County: The specific county ticks
 were found from * genus: Genus name of the tick collected * species:
 Species name of the tick collected * life stage: The life stage of the
 tick collected * Engorged: If the tick was engorged (blood fed) at the
 moment of collection * Extraction Method / Tick part: The method of DNA
 extraction of the tick/ the body part of the tick that was extracted
 (abdomen/vertical half) * Rickettsia status: The overall Rickettsia status
 in the tick (detected/not detected) - positive (detected), negative (not
 detected) * ompA PCR: The Rickettsia status in the tick based on the ompA
 gene target PCR - positive (detected), negative (not detected) * PCR-RFLP
 ID: The Rickettsia species in the tick based on the Restriction Fragment
 Length Polymorphism (RFLP) assay * ompA identity: The Rickettsia species
 detected in the tick based on the ompA gene target sequence * BLAST %
 Identity based on ompA gene: The percent identity match to the Rickettsia
 species during the BLAST match on Genbank gene database based on the ompA
 gene target sequence * 23S-5S IGS PCR: The Rickettsia status in the tick
 based on the 23S-5S IGS gene target PCR - positive (detected), negative
 (not detected) * 23S-5S IGS identity: The Rickettsia species detected in
 the tick based on the 23S-5S IGS gene target sequence * % Identity based
 on 23S-5S IGS gene: The percent identity match to the Rickettsia species
 during the BLAST match on Genbank gene database based on the 23S-5S IGS
 gene target sequence * gltA PCR: The Rickettsia status in the tick based
 on the gltA gene target PCR - positive (detected), negative (not detected)
 * gltA identity: The Rickettsia species detected in the tick based on the
 gltA gene target sequence * % Identity based on gltA gene: The percent
 identity match to the Rickettsia species during the BLAST match on Genbank
 gene database based on the gltA gene target sequence * % Identity based on
 gltA gene target sequence: results from BLAST % Identity analysis based on
 the gltA gene. Not Sequenced: gltA gene was not sequenced for that sample,
 so no BLAST comparison could be done. Negative: gltA gene was sequenced,
 but no Rickettsia or other relevant match was found in the BLAST database.
 Rickettsia amblyommatis –100%: gltA gene sequence from that sample matched
 Rickettsia amblyommatis with 100% identity in the BLAST search. ##
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