The present study was carried out to identify Rickettsia species with zoonotic potential in ticks collected from dogs in a rural area in Tabasco, Mexico. In total 197 Amblyomma maculatum ticks were collected from 40 domestic dogs. The collected specimens were pooled and subjected to DNA extraction. A fragment (380 bp) of citrate synthase gene (gltA) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using universal primers for Rickettsia. A second PCR was later performed to amplify a fragment (420 bp) of the outer membrane protein B gene (ompB). The PCR products were purified, sequenced and compared using the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST). Twenty out of 40 (50%) tick pools assayed were positive for rickettsial DNA using both primer pairs. The consensus sequence obtained from the ompB gene fragments showed 99.5–100% of identity with strains of Rickettsia parkeri. This study provides the first molecular evidence of the presence of R. parkeri in A. maculatum ticks infesting domestic dogs from southeastern Mexico. Close contact between dogs and humans should lead to consider the infection caused by this species of Rickettsia among the differential diagnoses for people of Tabasco, Mexico, who show acute febrile syndrome associated to inoculation eschar and have a clinical history of tick exposure.

进行本研究以鉴定从墨西哥塔巴斯科州农村地区的狗收集的tick中具有人畜共患病潜力的立克次体种。总共从40只家犬中收集了197个斑纹A。收集收集的样本并进行DNA提取。利用通用立克次体引物通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）扩增柠檬酸合酶基因（gltA）的片段（380bp）。随后进行第二次PCR扩增外膜蛋白B基因（ompB）的片段（420 bp））。使用基本的局部比对搜索工具（BLAST）对PCR产物进行纯化，测序和比较。使用两个引物对，分析的40个滴答池中有二十个（50％）的病DNA呈阳性。从ompB基因片段获得的共有序列显示与立克次体立克次体菌株有99.5–100％的同一性。这项研究提供了第一个分子证据，证明在墨西哥东南部的家养狗中，黄斑。中有R. parkeri。狗和人之间的紧密接触应导致考虑由这种立克次体引起的感染 在墨西哥塔巴斯科州的鉴别诊断中，他们表现出与接种焦char有关的急性发热综合征，并有tick暴露的临床病史。