Language

English

Publication Date

4-1-2026

Journal

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

DOI

10.1371/journal.pntd.0014242

PMID

42018570

PMCID

PMC13132428

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

4-22-2026

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Tick-borne relapsing fever is a neglected and overlooked disease. In Mexico, numerous historical reports document the distribution of Ornithodoros turicata, the vector of Borrelia turicatae, as well as human cases of infection. However, the enzootic cycle and reservoir hosts in Mexico remain unknown. Here, to detect previous infections with relapsing fever Borreliae in wild fauna a retrospective serological analysis was conducted with serum samples collected from raccoons trapped from 2022 to 2025 in the Navachiste region of Sinaloa, Mexico. Using a species-specific antigen, BipA from B. turicatae, and bacterial lysates of this spirochete, we found high exposure among this cohort (30/36 sera, 83.3%). These results indicate the role of raccoon in this area as frequent host of B. turicatae and, together with previous findings, suggest a possible endemic focus of tick-borne relapsing fever in northern Mexico. Our findings remark the need for further investigation into the ecoepidemiology of B. turicatae in this region.

Keywords

Animals, Borrelia, Mexico, Relapsing Fever, Raccoons, Antibodies, Bacterial, Retrospective Studies, Ornithodoros, Female

Published Open-Access

yes

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.