ISOLATION OF COXIELLA-BURNETII AND OF AN UNKNOWN RICKETTSIAL ORGANISMFROM IXODES-RICINUS TICKS COLLECTED IN AUSTRIA

Two strains of Coxiella burnetii and two strains of an unidentified ri ckettsial organism were isolated for the first time from Ixodes ricinu s ticks collected in the Alpine region of Tirol, Austria. The C. burne tii strains belong to the group of agents causing acute forms of Q fev er. The other two strains of isolated rickettsial agent share some ant igenic epitopes with C. burnetii and R. prowazekii but they differ fro m them by their high sensitivity to freezing and refreezing and by poo r multiplication in yolk sacs of chick embryos. There is at present no evidence that these organisms cause human illness and no ecological i nformation is available. We suggest they may be some new species of ri ckettsiae or rickettsia-like organisms.