Regarding recent TBE activity in Altai and Omsk, a total of 26 human zoonoses are transmitted by ticks. Thirteen of these occur in Russia: [1]

Anaplasmosis
Astrakhan fever
Babesiosis
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
Japanese spotted fever
Lyme disease
North Asian tick typhus
Omsk hemorrhagic fever
Powassan
Relapsing fever
Rickettsial Spotted fevers (ie, Rickettsia slovaca infection)
Tick-borne encephalitis
Tularemia

References:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of the Russian Federation. 2010, Gideon e-book series, 461 pp. http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-the-russian-federation/

Regarding reports of a fatal case in Minnesota, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) was the most common cause of arthropod-associated death in the United States for many years; but this “distinction” is now held by West Nile fever.

A variety of spotted fever group Rickettsiae are reported in Spain.

The incidence of Mediterranean spotted fever cases has decreased in recent years, from 870 cases in 1989, to 234 in 2003. 77.76% of cases are reported from Andalucia, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y Leon and Cataluna, with most occurring during July through October. 38 fatal cases were reported during 1980 to 1994.

Seroprevalence surveys:
8% of healthy persons and 26.1% of dogs in Catalonia – highest rates in seimrural areas (1997)
8.7% of persons in southern Spain (2002)
3.4% of persons in southern Spain (Bar29 infection, 2006 publication)
3.7% of persons in Catalonia (Rickettsia slovaka, 2008 publication)
56.4% of dogs in northeastern Spain (2006 publication)
24.6% of dogs in Ourense and Pontevedra (northwestern Spain, 2008 publication)
44% of cats in northeastern Spain (2006 publication)

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Rickettsial spotted fever was first reported in Brazil in 1920.

The disease is known locally as ‘Brazilian spotted fever’ and ‘Febre maculosa brasileira’

Cases are reported in Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Goias, Rio Grande do Sul and Espirito Santo.

Seroprevalence surveys:
10.6% of healthy students and 4.11% of dogs in the endemic areas of Minas Gerais (1998)
77.3% of horses and 31.3% of dogs in Pedreira Municipality, Sao Paulo State (2001)
1.6% of healthy persons in Minas Gerais (2005 publication)
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