Abstract
In summer 2008, two fatal cases were observed in Northeastern Greece: a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) case (first report in Greece) and a Mediterranean spotted fever case. In total, 537 ticks removed from humans who referred for this reason to the two hospitals of the region during June–September 2008 were identified. The vast majority of them (81.5%) were Rhipicephalus sanguineus, which is the main vector of Rickettsia conorii, while Hyalomma marginatum, the main vector of CCHF virus, accounted for 5.2%. The increased aggressiveness of R. sanguineus might be related to the weather conditions occurred during 2007–2008, while a variety of factors, including climate, might play a role in CCHF emergence.
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