Epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of typhus group rickettsiosis at the county level in China, 2005–2017

•We first explored the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal clusters of typhus group rickettsiosis in mainland China.•The hotspots were located mainly in the southwestern, southern, and circum-Bohai Sea regions of northern China.•The primary spatiotemporal cluster showed a trend shifting from circum-Bohai Sea regions to the southwestern regions of mainland China. To explore the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of typhus group rickettsiosis (TGR) in mainland China. A chi-squared test was used to compare the differences in the age and occupation distributions across the different years. Time-series analyses, spatial clustering analyses, and spatiotemporal scan statistics were used to detect the spatiotemporal patterns of the TGR incidence. A total of 29,211 TGR cases were collected. Of these cases, 63.1% occurred from May to October, and 88.4% occurred in individuals between 0 and 59 years old. There was a significant spatial TGR heterogeneity from 2005 to 2017. The hotspots were located mainly in the southwestern, southern, and circum-Bohai Sea regions of northern China. Eighteen spatiotemporal clusters were observed using Kulldorff’s space-time scan statistic, and the primary cluster included three counties, Jinghong city, Menghai county, and Mengla county. TGR is widely distributed in China, and it is a serious threat to public health. The hotspots were located mainly in the southwestern, southern, and circum-Bohai Sea regions of northern China, and the primary spatiotemporal cluster showed a trend shifting from circum-Bohai Sea regions to the southwestern regions. Targeted interventions should be executed in high-risk regions for precise prevention and control.