Evidence for a high prevalence of spotted fever group rickettsial infections in diverse ecologic zones of Inner Mongolia

Abstract

A 3-year study of spotted fever group rickettsial ecology in Inner Mongolia revealed that nearly half of the human population tested had antibodies to Rickettsia sibirica detected by complement fixation test. Infected persons, ticks and a high proportion of seropositive livestock and wild rodents were found in all five vegetation zones (desert, steppe, forest, forest-grassland and grassland).