"Rickettsiosis"

Completion of paired serological testing algorithms for spotted fever rickettsiosis and ehrlichiosis, North Carolina: 2017-2020. Ehrlichia and Rickettsia are tick-borne pathogens capable of causing severe disease. Paired serological testing, involving both acute and convalescent samples, remains the primary method of diagnostic confirmation and source of surveillance data. Yet few patients complete recommended testing algorithms. We examined the demographic, clinical, and geographic factors associated with obtainment of convalescent samples for patients with suspected ehrlichiosis and spotted fever rickettsiosis using results from a large academic center in North Carolina between 2017 and 2020. Over 4400 patients underwent serological testing of an acute sample for Rickettsia (N = 4224

Case Report: Fatal Rickettsiosis in Pregnancy. Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick-borne infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. We present a series of two cases of pregnant patients who showed up at the emergency room of a hospital in Nuevo León, Mexico. Both patients lived in environments where R. rickettsii is endemic and they presented with several days of symptoms, including

Rickettsia parkeri Rickettsiosis in Kidney Transplant Recipient, North Carolina, USA, 2023. Spotted fever rickettsiosis is rarely observed in solid organ transplant recipients, and all previously reported cases have been associated with tick bite months to years after transplantation. We describe a kidney transplant recipient in North Carolina, USA, who had a moderately severe Rickettsia parkeri

Increased Seroprevalence of Typhus Group Rickettsiosis, Galveston County, Texas, USA. Whether increases in typhus group rickettsiosis in Galveston County, Texas, USA, are caused by increased recognition or true reemergence is unclear. We conducted a serosurvey that demonstrated Rickettsia typhi antibodies increased from 1.2% in 2013 to 7.8% in 2021 (p<0.001). These findings support pathogen

Changing epidemiologic patterns of typhus group rickettsiosis and scrub typhus in China, 1950-2022. We conducted a systematic analysis of the notifiable rickettsial diseases in humans in China during 1950-2022. We utilized descriptive statistics to analyze the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic characteristics of typhus group rickettsiosis (TGR) and scrub

A Multiplex PCR assay for a differential diagnostic of rickettsiosis, Lyme disease and scrub typhus. Coexistence of tick-borne diseases in some regions in Latin America makes the diagnosis difficult due to shared initial signs and symptoms. Rickettsiosis, Lyme disease and recently, scrub typhus are gaining more importance. The objective of this study is to develop a multiplex-PCR assay for a differential diagnosis of rickettsiosis, Lyme disease and scrub typhus. By using bibliographic and bioinformatic analysis, we identify candidate regions to perform the multiplex- PCR assay for Rickettsia sp., Borrelia burgdorferi and Orientia tsutsugamushi as well as identify optimal melting temperature and sensibility analysis. We identified specific primer pairs for Rickettsia sp, Borrelia burgdorferi

Rare Case of Rickettsiosis Caused by Rickettsia monacensis, Portugal, 2021. We report a case of rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia monacensis in an immunocompetent 67-year-old man in Portugal who had eschar, erythematous rash, and an attached Ixodes ricinus tick. Seroconversion and eschar biopsy led to confirmed diagnosis by PCR. Physicians should be aware of this rare rickettsiosis, especially

Rickettsiosis Caused by Rickettsia parkeri, Mexico. We report a human case of rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic Rainforest in Mexico in an adult woman from a small town in the north of Yucatan, Mexico. We confirmed diagnosis using conventional PCR and sequence analysis. Health providers should be aware of clinical manifestations of rickettsioses in this region.

Interferon receptor-deficient mice are susceptible to eschar-associated rickettsiosis. Arthropod-borne rickettsial pathogens cause mild and severe human disease worldwide. The tick-borne pathogen elicits skin lesions (eschars) and disseminated disease in humans; however, inbred mice are generally resistant to infection. We report that intradermal infection of mice lacking both interferon formation. Immunizing mice with and mutant protects against rechallenge, revealing live-attenuated vaccine candidates. Thus, mice are a tractable model to investigate rickettsiosis, virulence factors, and immunity. Our results further suggest that discrepancies between mouse and human susceptibility may be due to differences in interferon signaling.

Epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of typhus group rickettsiosis at the county level in China, 2005-2017. To explore the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of typhus group rickettsiosis (TGR) in mainland China. A chi-squared test was used to compare the differences in the age and occupation distributions across the different years. Time-series

Typhus Group Rickettsiosis, Brazilian Amazon. Rickettsia rickettsii infection is the only rickettsiosis included in the list of reportable diseases in Brazil, where typhus group rickettsioses, mainly murine typhus, have been underreported. We report a case of typhus group rickettsiosis with unique ecologic particularities in a patient from the Brazilian Amazon, where, to our knowledge

Candidatus Rickettsia xinyangensis as Cause of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis, Xinyang, China, 2015. In 2015, we evaluated 221 patients with undifferentiated fever and tick bite or animal exposure in Xinyang, China, for Rickettsia infection. Three with mild disease were infected with Candidatus R. xinyangensis, which clustered with R. fournieri and R. vini in phylogenetic analyses. Field

Antibody titers reactive with Rickettsia rickettsii in blood donors and implications for surveillance of spotted fever rickettsiosis in the United States. Since 2000, the reported prevalence of tick-borne spotted fever rickettsiosis has increased considerably. We compared the level of antibody reactivity among healthy blood donors from 2 widely separated regions of the United States ) met inclusion criteria in the national case definition for spotted fever rickettsiosis. These findings suggest that a single IgG antibody titer is an unreliable measure of diagnosis and could inaccurately affect surveillance estimates that define magnitude and clinical characteristics of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other spotted fever rickettsioses.

Case Report: Early Doxycycline Therapy for Potential Rickettsiosis in Critically Ill Patients in Flea-Borne Typhus-Endemic Areas. Flea-borne typhus (FBT), although usually perceived as a self-resolving febrile illness, actually encompasses a wide spectrum of disease severity, including fulminant sepsis with multi-organ failure. In endemic Texas and California, the incidence of FBT has more than doxycycline in the context of a high clinical suspicion. Patients residing in FBT-endemic areas presenting with a febrile illness of unknown etiology with a suggestive constellation of hyponatremia, elevated transaminase levels, and thrombocytopenia should be suspected of having FBT. Clinicians should proceed to serologic testing with early doxycycline therapy for potential rickettsiosis. Familiarizing

Case Report: Typhoid Fever and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis Presenting Concomitantly in an Indian Immigrant. We present a rare case of an Indian immigrant suffering from concomitant infection of and spotted fever group . We discuss the scarce reports of dual infections from the developing world and the related diagnostic challenges.

Typhus Group Rickettsiosis, Germany, 2010-2017¹. Typhus group rickettsiosis is caused by the vectorborne bacteria Rickettsia typhi and R. prowazekii. R. typhi, which causes murine typhus, the less severe endemic form of typhus, is transmitted by fleas; R. prowazekii, which causes the severe epidemic form of typhus, is transmitted by body lice. To examine the immunology of human infection with typhus group rickettsiae, we retrospectively reviewed clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory changes, and travel destinations of 28 patients who had typhus group rickettsiosis diagnosed by the German Reference Center for Tropical Pathogens, Hamburg, Germany, during 2010-2017. Immunofluorescence assays of follow-up serum samples indicated simultaneous seroconversion of IgM, IgA, and IgG

Fatal spotted fever rickettsiosis in Argentina We present a fatal case of a 17-year-old male patient who was hospitalized for febrile seizures and generalized skin rash.

A 2015 outbreak of flea-borne rickettsiosis in San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County, California Although flea-borne rickettsiosis is endemic in Los Angeles County, outbreaks are rare. In the spring of 2015 three human cases of flea-borne rickettsiosis among residents of a mobile home community (MHC) prompted an investigation. Fleas were ubiquitous in common areas due to presence of flea -infested opossums and overabundant outdoor cats and dogs. The MHC was summarily abated in June 2015, and within five months, flea control and removal of animals significantly reduced the flea population. Two additional epidemiologically-linked human cases of flea-borne rickettsiosis detected at the MHC were suspected to have occurred before control efforts began. Molecular testing of 106 individual

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis in a Wildlife Researcher in Sabah, Malaysia: A Case Study We present evidence for a case of spotted fever rickettsiosis with severe complications in a young adult male. Although spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) have been reported as the most prevalent cause of rickettsiosis in rural areas of Sabah, Malaysia since the 1980s, this is the first detailed case report

Typhus Group Rickettsiosis, Texas, USA, 2003-2013. We characterized the epidemiology of typhus group rickettsiosis in Texas, USA. During 2003-2013, a total of 1,762 cases were reported to the state health department. The number of diagnosed cases and geographic expansion increased over time. Physician awareness is critical to diagnose and effectively treat rickettsial infections.