DISEASE RELATIONS 



Man (in nature ) 



0. moubata is the only known tick vector of African tick-borne 

 relapsing fever (Borrelia duttonii ) of East, Central, and South 

 Africa. A few cases of this disease have been reported from Equa- 

 toria Province in the Sudan. No evidence supports certain pub- 

 lished maps showing known extensive distribution of tick-borne 

 relapsing fever in many areas of the Sudan. It should be noted 

 that populations of this tick from burrows of wild animals have 

 not been found infested with spirochetes. 



It is claimed that some specimens naturally infected with 

 rickettsia, Coxiella burnetii , the causative organism of Q fever, 

 have been found in Ruanda-Uriindi , and that in Kivu others have 

 been taken infected with an organism referred to as *Bashi virus- 

 rickettsia'*. 



The etiologic agent of food poisoning. Salmonella enteritidis , 

 has been recovered from this tick in Africa. 



0. moubata has not actxially been found infected in nature with 

 the pathogenic organisms of any other human disease, but experi- 

 mental data strongly indicate fvirther research in this respect. 



Tampan bites may cause considerable irritation. Circumstan- 

 tial evidence suggests that persons long victimized by bites of 

 this tick may develop an immunity to them. 



Fowls 



0, moubata is an experimental vector of fowl spirochetosis 

 (Borr~lia anserina). It is of negligible importance in transmission 

 of Salmonella bacteria and of Aegyptianella pullorum (a protozoan). 

 The bacterium that causes avian cholera ^Pasteurella avicida ) sur- 

 vives only a few days in 0. moubata. 



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