Infection Rates and Characterisation of Rickettsia africae (Rickettsiaceae) Detected in Amblyomma Species from Southern Africa

Tick-borne rickettsioses are considered among the oldest known vector-borne zoonotic diseases. Among the rickettsiae, is the most reported and important in Africa, as it is the aetiological agent of African tick bite fever (ATBF). Studies describing the prevalence of . in southern Africa are fragmented, as they are limited to small geographical areas and focused on and as vectors. spp. ticks were collected in Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe during the sampling period from March 2020 to September 2022. was detected using the gene, while characterisation was conducted using , , and genes. In total, 7734 spp. ticks were collected and were morphologically and molecularly identified as , . , and . . Low levels of variability were observed in the phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated genes. The prevalence of . ranged from 11.7% in South Africa to 35.7% in Zambia. This is one of the largest studies on . prevalence in southern Africa and highlights the need for the inclusion of ATBF as a differential diagnosis when inhabitants and travellers present with flu-like symptoms in the documented countries.