Figure 1.

Principal tick vectors of Rickettsia africae. Amblyomma hebraeum female (top left) and male (bottom left). Amblyomma variegatum female (top right) and male (bottom right). All feeding stages (larvae, nymphs, and adults) of both species demonstrate highly aggressive host-seeking behavior and a host is often attacked simultaneously by multiple ticks. Both species are distributed across much of southern Africa, including Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. The distribution of A. variegatum is even broader and includes most countries of sub-Saharan Africa and eight islands of the Caribbean.^2,3 Tick specimens were provided by Lorenza Beati, MD, PhD; images courtesy of James Gathany. This figure appears in color at www.ajtmh.org.