Detection of Rickettsia rickettsii and Bartonella henselae in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks from California

Sixty-two questing adult Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) ticks were collected by direct removal from blades of turfgrass and adjacent concrete walkways at a suburban home in Riverside County, CA, and tested for the presence of Rickettsia, Bartonella, and Ehrlichia DNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify fragments of the 17-kDa antigen gene and the rOmpA gene of the spotted fever group rickettsiae. One male tick contained R. rickettsii DNA; its genotype differed from R. rickettsii isolates found in Montana and Arizona that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever and from Hlp#2 and 364D serotypes. One male tick and one female tick contained B. henselae DNA. No Ehrlichia platys or Ehrlichia canis DNAs were detected using nested PCR for their 16S rRNA genes. These findings extend the area where Rickettsia rickettsii may be vectored by Rh. sanguineus. Rh. sanguineus also may be infected with Bartonella henselae, a human pathogen that is typically associated with fleas and causes cat scratch disease.