Study of rickettsioses in Slovakia. I. Coxiella burneti and Rickettsiae of the spotted fever (SF) group in ticks and serological surveys in animals and humans in certain selected localities in the Lucenec and V. Krtís districts.

A study of the natural focus character of Q fever and the rickettsiosis caused by organisms of the SF group carried out in 1971-1973 in 7 selected villages in the Lucenec district and in a few control villages in the V. Krtis district, produced the following results: Among a total number of 2,200 ticks belonging to the species Dermacentor marginatus, Ixodes ricinus and Haemaphysalis punctata and tested for the presence of rickettsial organisms by the haemocyte test, C. burneti was detected in 8 from the chosen localities--in 2 females and 1 male of D. marginatus in Luborec, in 1 2. ricinus female in Maskova and in 1 female and 3 males of I. ricinus in Pincina--and in 5 from the control localities--in 1 D. marginatus female in Prebelce and in 3 females and 1 male of D. marginatus in V. Lom.