Thesis (M.S.)--University of Calif. 1912. / Reprint from the Public health reports, vol. XXVII, no. 36, Sept. 6, 1912. This paper originally appeared in the Military surgeon, vol. XXIX, no. 6, Dec. 1911, p. 631-657, under title, "The problem of Rocky Mountain spotted fever." As republished here the text and bibliography have been amended so as to cover the subject to the present time. cf. p. 3. Bibliography: p. 23-29.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1960 N53

That the tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, was the vehicle of transmission for the disease Rocky Mountain spotted fever was first suggested by Wilson and Chowning (1902). The disease itself has been recognized since 1873, being first known from the Bitter Root Valley of Montana. The first medical record, however, was reported from Idaho by Wood (1896).

No description available.

No description available.

Considerable research on ticks has been done since it was discovered that the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, was a principal vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fevero Additional disease agents of man are also transmitted by D. andersoni. This tick and a closely related species, Dermacentor parumapertus Neuman, occur commonly in Utah. The two species are often closely associated, although D. andersoni is believed to occur in the mountains, whereas D. parumapertus is in the desert valleys. Diseases affecting animals in nature are transmitted by ticks of both species. Consequently, any interaction between the two may be influential in the maintenance of diseases in nature communicable to man and his domestic animals.

The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the prevalence of adult ticks of Dermacentor andersoni in national forest recreational sites of Utah, and (2) the incidence of spotted fever rickettsia, Rickettsia rickettsii, in the ticks of these areas. With the use of a white flannel cloth, 358 adult D. andersoni (135 males and 223 females) were collected from 48 recreational sites during the spring and summer of 1964. Ticks from each collection were put in pools, preserved in non-fat skim milk at -30° C, and subsequently tested for the presence of spotted fever rickettsia by guinea pig inoculations. The average collection rate (population density) for all collections was 6.8 per hour, but populations varied between sites. Populations were greater in the middle and southern parts of the state than in the northern. The greatest populations were at elevations between 6,000 and 8,000 feet with the upper limit just under 9,000 feet. The elevational distribution varied with the latitude--greater populations were found at higher elevations in southern than in northern Utah. The season of peak abundance was between the last week of May and the last of June. Populations were greater at lower elevations early in the season and at higher elevations later. Male ticks were more abundant early in the spring whereas females predominated later. The preferred habitat was open, unshaded areas of short, scanty, young grass. Ticks were collected in greater numbers in the afternoon than in the morning. Temperatures between 12° and 38° C apparently had little effect on tick activity. Activity was slightly greater on partly cloudy and cloudy days than on clear days, and increased proportionately relative to an increase in wind velocity. Spotted fever rickettsia were found in 3.6% of the ticks collected. These were from 13 different recreational sites, over half of which are in the northern half of the state near human population centers. Ticks positive for spotted fever were probably infected with avirulent type U or type T strain of R. rickettsii.

Orientadores: Luiz Jacintho da Silva, Raquel Silveira Bello Stucchi / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T15:04:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angerami_RodrigoNogueira_D.pdf: 7670692 bytes, checksum: f6634d52b90eaf383ed11a180b9179aa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Causada pela bactéria Rickettsia rickettsii e transmitida pelos carrapatos Amblyomma cajennense e Amblyomma aureolatum, a febre maculosa brasileira (FMB), após décadas de aparente silêncio epidemiológico, desde sua reemergência nos anos 80, vem figurando como importante problema de saúde pública no estado de São Paulo, sobretudo, em decorrência da aparente expansão das áreas de transmissão e da elevada letalidade a ela associada. O objetivo principal do presente estudo foi descrever características clínicas e epidemiológicas da FMB a partir da análise retrospectiva de casos confirmados da doença em áreas endêmicas no estado de São Paulo. Foi observado que manifestações inespecíficas como febre, cefaléia, mialgia e exantema, foram os sinais clínicos mais freqüentes e precoces. Embora variáveis, elevadas frequências de fenômenos hemorrágicos (22,9%-77,6%), icterícia (16,7%-52%), alterações neurológicas (27,2%-51,7%) e insuficiência respiratória (17,5%-62%) foram observadas. A taxa de letalidade média no estado de São Paulo no período de 2003 a 2008 foi de 29,6%(21,9%-40%). Trombocitopenia e elevação de transaminases hepáticas foram as alterações laboratoriais mais frequentes, ocorrendo em até 100% dos casos. Na faixa etária pediátrica, a FMB também se apresentou como doença severa, associando-se, embora em menor freqüência, às complicações acima mencionadas e à elevada letalidade (28,4%). Entretanto, em estudo comparativo entre o perfil clínico da FMB nos estados de São Paulo e Santa Catarina, observou-se no estado do Sul uma doença com evolução benigna, pequena frequência de sinais de gravidade e ausência de óbitos. Entre pacientes com FMB, as síndromes febris hemorrágica, icterohemorrágica e exantemática foram as mais comumente observadas (37,1%, 33,9%, 11,3%, respectivamente). Dentre os principais diagnósticos diferenciais da FMB, leptospirose, dengue e doença meningocócica foram as mais prevalentes (28,5%, 17,2%, 5,4%, respectivamente). Em 31% dos casos descartados para FMB não foi possível a identificação do diagnóstico etiológico. A doença foi mais incidente no gênero masculino e entre indivíduos da faixa etária de 20 a 49 anos. Em áreas em que o A. cajennense é o principal vetor foi possível observar maior incidência da doença entre o período de Junho a Setembro. Surtos de FMB se associaram a elevadas taxas de letalidade e a diferentes determinantes ecoepidemiológicos. Atividades de lazer e ocupacionais em áreas de mata, pastagem, próximas a coleções hídricas e/ou com presença de animais (cavalos, capivaras e, eventualmente, cães) foram consideradas importantes exposições de risco para infecção. O presente estudo permitiu observar que a infecção pela R. rickettsii no estado de São Paulo se associa à elevada morbimortalidade, sendo, aparentemente, mais severa que a febre das Montanhas Rochosas nos Estados Unidos. Exantema, icterícia e hemorragias são importantes marcadores clínicos que devem ser considerados na suspeição da doença e seus diagnósticos diferencias. O conhecimento das características epidemiológicas e dos fatores de risco para infecção deve fundamentar as ações de prevenção e controle da FMB. A maior severidade da infecção pela R. rickettsii no estado de São Paulo, a ocorrência de casos atípicos em Santa Catarina e a ausência de elucidação diagnóstica em casos descartados para FMB sugerem que cepas de R. rickettsii com distintos padrões de virulência, bem como outras espécies de riquétsias e, eventualmente, outros microorganismos transmitidos por carrapatos devam estar ocorrendo no Brasil / Abstract: Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii and transmited by Amblyomma cajennense and Amblyomma aureolatum ticks. After decades of an apparent epidemiological silence, BSF reemerged as an important public health problem in São Paulo State in the 1980's, mostly because the possible expansion of its transmission areas and the high BSF related fatality-rate. The main objective of the present study was to describe clinical and epidemiological features of BSF through a retrospective analysis of BSF confirmed cases in endemic areas. Non-specific clinical signs like fever, myalgia, headache, and exanthema were the earliest and most frequent clinical signs. A high frequency of hemorrhagic manifestations (22.9%-77.6%), icterus (16.7%-52%), neurological signs (27.2%-51.7%), and respiratory distress (17.5%-62%) was also observed. Case-fatality ratio in São Paulo State between 2003 and 2008 was 29.6% (21.9%-40%). Thrombocytopenia and elevated liver enzymes were the most frequent laboratorial abnormalities, reaching 100% in some groups. In the pediatric age-group, BSF also presented as a severe disease with a slightly lower rate of clinical complications, but a similar high lethality rate (28.4%). Interestingly, when we compared the clinical profile of BSF cases between São Paulo state and Santa Catarina state, located in the southernmost part of Brazil, a milder disease, with a lower frequency of clinical signs of severity and no fatalities was observed in the latter. The most frequent clinical syndromes occurring in BSF patients were hemorrhagic, ictero-hemorrhagic, and exanthematic acute febrile syndromes (37.1%, 33.9% and 11.3% respectively). The most important differential diagnosis to BSF was leptospirosis, dengue fever, and meningococcal disease (28.5%, 17.2%, and 5.4%, respectively). In 31% of non-confirmed BSF cases, no etiological diagnosis was defined. A higher incidence of BSF was observed in males and in the 20-49 years age-group. In areas where A. cajennense is recognized as the most important vector, a higher BSF incidence was observed from June to September. Clusters of BSF were associated to elevated fatality rates and a wide number of ecoepidemiological determinants. Recreational and occupational activities in rural, periurban, and waterside areas, with presence of animals (mostly horses and capybaras, and eventually dogs) were considered the most important exposure risk factors to infection. The present study suggests a more severe pattern of R. rickettsii in São Paulo state when compared with Rocky Mountain spotted fever in United States. Exanthema, icterus, and hemorrhage are important clinical markers of BSF and should be considered in the suspicion of this disease and as a differential diagnosis. Knowledge of clinical, epidemiological, and risk factors for infection should be used to structure and improve the measures for control and prevention of BSF. Together, the higher severity of R. rickettsii infection in São Paulo state, the occurrence of atypical cases in Santa Catarina, and the unknown etiological diagnosis of a high percentage of post-tick exposure febrile patients suggest that more virulent R. rickettsii strains, other Rickttsiae species and, eventually, other tick-borne diseases could be occurring in Brazil / Doutorado / Clinica Medica / Doutor em Clínica Médica