He found that 6.1% of 296 rabbit ticks collected from 38 towns across nine counties in Maine tested positive for the new Rickettsia genotype. “This wasn’t a needle in a haystack,” Rich says.

RMSF is a potentially fatal bacterial infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii bacteria ... particularly to the brain, heart and lungs, and may result in long-term complications or death if ...

The infection itself is caused by the Rickettsia rickettsii parasite ... may be candidates for a kidney transplant. Heart or lung inflammation may develop as Rocky Mountain spotted fever progresses.

The discovery of Rickettsia sp. ME2023 is a key piece of a puzzle that scientists at the UMass Amherst-based New England Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases (NEWVEC) are pondering.