We report new cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in patients from Kinkantu, Ngäbe-Bugle indigenous comarca, Panama. We isolated Rickettsia rickettsii in cell culture after intraperitoneal inoculation of guinea pigs with tissues from a deceased patient. Our results indicate that Rocky Mountain spotted fever is emerging in this region.
Keywords: Panama; Rickettsia rickettsii spotted fever group; Rocky Mountain spotted fever; bacteria; human cases; isolation; rickettsia; rickettsiosis; vector-borne infections.