We sequenced DNA from spleens of rodents captured in rural areas of Qingdao, East China, during 2013-2015. We found 1 Apodemus agrarius mouse infected with Rickettsia conorii, indicating a natural Mediterranean spotted fever foci exists in East China and that the range of R. conorii could be expanding.
Keywords: Apodemus agrarius; China; Indian tick typhus; Mediterranean spotted fever; Rickettsia conorii; bacteria; mouse; rodents; vector-borne infections; zoonoses.