Rickettsioses in the central hills of Sri Lanka: serological evidence of increasing burden of spotted fever group

Spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) is one among the aetiologies that cause fever of unknown origin in Angola. Despite their occurrence, there is little information about its magnitude in this country either because it is misdiagnosed or due to the lack of diagnostic resources. For this purpose, eighty-seven selected malaria- and yellow fever-negative serum specimens collected between February 2016 and March 2017 as part of the National Laboratory of Febrile Syndromes, from patients with fever (≥37.5°C) for at least 4 days and of unknown origin, were screened for Rickettsia antibodies through an immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Serological results were interpreted according to the 2017 guidelines for the detection of Rickettsia spp. Three seroreactive patients had detectable IgM antibodies to Rickettsia with an endpoint titre of 32 and IgG antibodies with endpoint titres of 128 and 256. These findings supported a diagnosis of Rickettsia exposure amongst these patients and highlight that rickettsioses may be among the cause of unknown febrile syndromes in Angola. Therefore, physicians must be aware of this reality and must include this vector-borne disease as part of aetiologies that should be considered and systematically tested in order to delineate appropriate strategies of diagnostic and control of Rickettsia in Angola.

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Widespread subcutaneous necrosis in spotted fever group Rickettsioses from the coastal belt of Sri Lanka- a case report

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-017-2375-z ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nathasha Luke ◽

Hasini Munasinghe ◽

Lakshmi Balasooriya ◽

Ranjan Premaratna

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Coastal Belt

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Serological evidence of spotted fever group rickettsiosis in and around Puducherry, south India—A three years study

Journal of Vector Borne Diseases ◽

10.4103/0972-9062.242562 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 55 (2) ◽

pp. 144 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Selvaraj Stephen ◽

Stanley Ambroise ◽

Dhandapany Gunasekaran ◽

Mohammed Hanifah ◽

Balakrishnan Sangeetha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South India ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Serological Evidence

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Detection of tick-borne rickettsial pathogens in naturally infected dogs and dog-associated ticks in Medellin, Colombia

Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ◽

10.1590/s1984-29612020060 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Esteban Arroyave ◽

Emily Rose Cornwell ◽

Jere Williams McBride ◽

Carlos Arley Díaz ◽

Marcelo Bahia Labruna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

16S Rrna ◽

Potential Risk ◽

Tick Species ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Serological Evidence ◽

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae ◽

Rickettsial Infections

Abstract Tick-borne rickettsial pathogens (TBRP) are important causes of infections in both dogs and humans. Dogs play an important role as a biological host for several tick species and can serve as sentinels for rickettsial infections. Our aim was to determine the presence of TBRP in dogs and in dog-associated ticks and their potential risk to human diseases in Medellin, Colombia. DNA for E. canis (16S rRNA and dsb) and A. platys (groEl) was detected in 17.6% (53/300) and 2.6% (8/300) of dogs, respectively. Antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. 82 (27.3%) and Anaplasma spp. 8 (2.6%) were detected in dogs. Antibody reactivity against both agents were found in 16 dogs (5.3%). Eight dogs showed antibody for Rickettsia spp. with titers that suggest 3 of them had a probable exposure to R. parkeri. Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (178/193) was the main tick in dogs, followed by R. microplus (15/193). The minimum infection rates (MIR) in R. sanguineus were 11.8% for E. canis and 3.4% for A. platys. E. canis and A. platys are the main TBRP infecting dogs and ticks and R. sanguineus s.l. is likely involved in the transmission of both agents. Interestingly, we found serological evidence of exposure in dogs for spotted fever group rickettsiae.

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Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae infection, Sri Lanka

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.8743 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (08) ◽

pp. 668-671

Author(s):

Charlotte Cordier ◽

Pierre Tattevin ◽

Caroline Leyer ◽

Marine Cailleaux ◽

Didier Raoult ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Skin Biopsy ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Pcr Amplification ◽

Rickettsia Conorii ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Axillary Lymph ◽

Ompa Gene ◽

Rickettsia Felis ◽

Rickettsia Sibirica

Introduction. Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae was recently reported as a common rickettsiosis in France. Current serological evidence suggests the presence of scrub typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiosis in Sri Lanka. We detected a human case of R. sibirica mongolitimonae in Sri Lanka. Methodology. A skin biopsy of the eschar was tested for the presence of Rickettsia spp. using qPCR assay targeting a 109-bp fragment of a hypothetical protein and by PCR amplification and sequencing targeting the ompA gene. Results. A 30-year-old woman who had just returned from travel to a jungle in Sri Lanka was evaluated as an outpatient for fever. Examination revealed an enlarged axillary lymph node, a maculopapular rash and an eschar at her left flank and a skin biopsy of the eschar was performed. The skin biopsy was positive for the presence of Rickettsia spp. by qPCR and PCR amplification and sequencing targeting the ompA gene revealed R. sibirica mongolitimonae. Immunofluorescence assay on an acute serum sample for spotted fever group rickettsial antigens (Rickettsia conorii conorii, R. sibirica mongolitimonae, Rickettsia felis) and typhus group rickettsiae (Rickettsia typhi) was negative. The patient was treated by oral doxycycline (200 mg/day) for one week. Conclusions. R. sibirica mongolitimonae should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with suspected rickettsiosis in, or returning from, Sri Lanka.

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