A dog naturally infected with Rickettsia akari in Yucatan, México.

Rickettsia akari is the causative agent of rickettsialpox, a primarily urban mite-borne rickettsiosis that is encountered in the United States and in a few countries around the world. Its vector is the mite Liponyssoides sanguineus, which is found on rats and mice, which serve as reservoirs for the disease. In this work we report a severe animal case of R. akari infection with two unusual features: R. akari was found in a dog, and its potential vector was a tick.