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Bacterial pathogens of the families Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae are often spread to humans or other animals from bites from infected arthropod hosts. Recently, an increasing number of studies have implicated migratory birds in the circulation of these pathogens through the spread of arthropod vectors. However, few studies have examined the potential for resident bird populations to serve as reservoirs for these zoonoses. In this study, we used nested PCRs of the GroESL and 17 kDa genes to screen for Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae, respectively, in a resident population of the northern crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) from Florida (n=55). Additionally, a small number (n=6) of captive individuals from Texas were included. We identified one individual (1.64%) positive for Rickettsia felis and one (1.64%) positive for Ehrlichia chaffeensis; both these individuals were from Florida. Presence of these pathogens demonstrates that these birds are potential hosts; however, the low prevalence of infections suggests that these populations likely do not function as an ecological reservoir., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, feeds upon a variety of hosts and is a known vector of several human pathogens. In Ohio, populations of A. americanum have been expanding their range and increasing in abundance and distribution, thereby elevating the public health concerns regarding bites from this species. We used a set of PCR assays to detect the presence of ehrlichial and rickettsial species in A. americanum ticks submitted to the Ohio Department of Health Zoonotic Disease Program over an 11-year period (2000-2010). We did not detect the presence of known pathogens Rickettsia rickettsii or Ehrlichia chaffeensis, but we did identify the presence of two other bacterial species: 'Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii', and Ehrlichia sp. Panola Mountain. 'Candidatus R. amblyommii' was the most common species identified (30.2%), whereas the ehrlichiae was quite rare (0.6%). With growing evidence implicating both 'Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii' and Ehrlichia sp. Panola Mountain in mild to moderate human disease, our results support the importance of continued monitoring of A. americanum ticks for the presence of potential pathogens., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)