RELATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND EVOLUTION OF BOUTONNEUSE FEVER IN THE COUNTY OF CONSTANTA - ROMANIA

Boutonneuse fever is an eruptive disease from the group of spotted fever caused by Rickettsia conorii having both vector and reservoir a dog tick Ripicephalus sanguineus. In Romania, R. sanguineus is found during late spring to early autumn, because can develop well at different level of temperature (20-35 degrees C) and relative humidity (35-95%). Although over the studied period (January 2009 - September 2017) there were no major changes in evolution of average environmental temperature and humidity, a decreased number of patients with boutonneuse fever was reported, from 149 patients in 2009 to 31 in 2017. During the analysed period were hospitalised 468 cases of patients with boutonneuse fever. Repartition by groups of age evidenced that the majority of cases were in adults, with 416 cases (88.88%), while in children aged between 1 year old and 18 years old were noticed just 52 cases (11.12%). The majority of patients were female -249 cases (53.20%), from urban area -293 cases (62.60%). The decreasing number of patients with boutonneuse fever in Constanta area over 9-year study seems to be related rather with extensive prophylaxis after tick bite, than related with changes in environmental factors.