{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.021215043394406944, 'fraction_numerical': 0.017357762777242044, 'mean_word_length': 4.864406779661017, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Contribution of Canine‐Based Factors to the Spread of RMSF in Arizona and Mexico

Prior to 2003, the number of annual cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) reported in Arizona was reliably close to zero. However, since an initial RMSF outbreak in 2003, case rates have rapidly increased in Arizona and continue to rise. This outbreak has been tied to a novel vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick. Since then, the vectoring capacity of the brown dog tick is seemingly spreading as Northern Mexico across the border from Arizona has had over 4000 reported cases since 2008, with mortality rates as high as 38%. This discovery was somewhat unsettling considering the continental‐wide distribution of these ticks. Given this is a zoonotic disease, canines act as an amplifier for the bacterial agent Rickettsii rickettsii and then brown dog ticks pass it on to humans as an incidental host. Therefore, the need to understand the canine‐based factors that drive the spread of RMSF in this region has become more urgent.