Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines
07:18

An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines

Published on: October 11, 2022

Rickettsial diseases in Russia

Irina V Tarasevich1, Oleg Y Mediannikov

  • 1Laboratory of Rickettsial Ecology, Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, ul. Gamalei, 18, Moscow, Russia. olegusss1@mail.ru

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|November 23, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Rickettsial infections in Russia include epidemic typhus and increasing Siberian tick typhus. While Rickettsia prowazekii is rare, tick-borne diseases like Siberian tick typhus are rising, with other spotted fever group rickettsiae detected in ticks.

Area of Science:

  • * Veterinary Medicine
  • * Infectious Diseases
  • * Epidemiology

Background:

  • * Rickettsioses are a group of bacterial diseases transmitted by ticks and lice.
  • * Several rickettsial infections are officially reported in the Russian Federation, with varying incidence rates.
  • * Historically, epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) was prevalent, but now occurs sporadically.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To review the current status of rickettsioses in the Russian Federation.
  • * To highlight the epidemiology of key rickettsial diseases, including Siberian tick typhus and spotted fevers.
  • * To note the detection of novel spotted fever group rickettsiae in Russian ticks.

Main Methods:

  • * Review of officially reported rickettsioses morbidity data in the Russian Federation.
  • * Analysis of incidence trends for Rickettsia prowazekii, Rickettsia sibirica, and other spotted fever group rickettsiae.
  • * Inclusion of recently described tick-borne rickettsioses.

Main Results:

  • * Epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) cases are sporadic, with the last outbreak in 1997.
  • * Siberian tick typhus (Rickettsia sibirica) incidence is increasing, with 2.5–4.0 thousand registered cases annually.
  • * Astrakhan spotted fever (Rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia) and Far Eastern tick-borne rickettsiosis (Rickettsia heilongjiangensis) are recognized, with other pathogenic rickettsiae found in ticks.

Conclusions:

  • * Rickettsial infections remain a public health concern in Russia.
  • * Tick-borne rickettsioses, particularly Siberian tick typhus, show a concerning increasing trend.
  • * Ongoing surveillance is crucial for detecting and managing emerging rickettsial diseases in the region.

More Related Videos

Evaluation of a Universal Nested Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Detection of Lyssaviruses08:10

Evaluation of a Universal Nested Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Detection of Lyssaviruses

Published on: May 2, 2019

Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)03:22

Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

Published on: October 31, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever01:26

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a severe tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium. This pathogen is an obligate intracellular parasite, requiring a host cell for replication. Transmission occurs through the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, the most important vectors are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick), though other tick species may also serve as vectors.
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Rabies01:28

Rabies

Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae. Its primary mode of transmission to humans is through bites or saliva-contaminated scratches from infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, or foxes. Transmission can also occur if infectious saliva contacts abraded skin or intact mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva.Viral Entry and Early ReplicationOnce introduced at the bite or scratch...
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease01:29

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a widespread pathogen that primarily targets infants and young children but also poses a serious health risk to elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus within the Pneumovirus genus. Its global health burden is significant, with millions of cases annually resulting in hospitalizations and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Although most...
Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes01:30

Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes

Spirochetes, unique bacteria in the phylum Spirochaetes, are gram-negative, motile, tightly coiled, slender, and flexible. They inhabit aquatic sediments and animals, with some causing diseases like syphilis. Spirochetes are classified into eight genera based on habitat, pathogenicity, phylogeny, and characteristics.Their distinctive motility arises from endoflagella, located within the cell’s periplasm. These endoflagella anchor at the cell poles and extend along the cell length, encased by a...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...