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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 74(1), 2006, pp. 123-126
Copyright © 2006 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


SEROLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF INFECTION WITH RICKETTSIA TYPHI AND RICKETTSIA FELIS AMONG THE HUMAN POPULATION OF CATALONIA, IN THE NORTHEAST OF SPAIN

MARÍA MERCEDES NOGUERAS*, NEUS CARDEÑOSA, ISABEL SANFELIU, TOMÁS MUÑOZ, BERNAT FONT, AND FERRAN SEGURA
Infectious Diseases Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain; UDIAT Diagnostic Center, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain

 

ABSTRACT

Murine typhus (MT) is a cause of fever of intermediate duration in the south of Spain. Rickettsia typhi has been described as the MT etiological agent. Rickettsia felis produces an infection similar to MT. The aim of the study is to determine their seroprevalence in humans in Catalonia. Antibodies to Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis from 217 serum samples were examined by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Age, gender, residence area, contact with animals, and occupation were surveyed. Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis seroprevalences were 8.8% and 3.2%, respectively. Rickettsia typhi was present in 7.6% of the samples in urban, 8.5% in semirural, and in 21.4% in rural areas, whereas Rickettsia felis was present in 3.5% in urban, 1.7% in semirural, and 7.1% in rural area. The only statistically significant association observed was that between Rickettsia felis seropositivity and age. Our data seem to indicate the presence of Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis in humans in Catalonia.

Received February 21, 2005. Accepted for publication August 3, 2005.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Prof. D. Raoult of the Unité de Rickettsies, France, for providing Rickettsia felis antigen. Support for this work was partially provided by Red Española de Investigación en Patologica Infecciosa—REIPI (Spain). The authors thank José Manuel Aisa for reviewing the English.

* Address correspondence to María Mercedes Nogueras, Infectious Diseases Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Parc Taulí s/n, Sabadell 08208, Spain. E-mail: mnogueras{at}cspt.es

Authors’ addresses: María Mercedes Nogueras, Neus Cardeñosa, Bernat Font, and Ferran Segura, Infectious Diseases Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Parc Taulí s/n, Sabadell 08208, Spain, Telephone: (34) 937458252, Fax: (34) 937160646, E-mails: mnogueras{at}cspt.es, ncardenosa{at}cspt.es, bfont{at}cspt.es, and fsegura{at}cspt.es. Isabel Sanfeliu, UDIAT Diagnostic Center, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Parc Taulí s/n, Sabadell 08208, Spain, Telephone: (34) 936933212, Fax: (34) 937162004, E-mail: isanfeliu{at}cspt.es. Tomás Muñoz, Department of Pediatrics, Corporació Sanitària del Parc Taulí, Parc Taulí s/n, Sabadell 08208, Spain, Telephone: (34) 937231010 ext 20076, Fax: (34) 937160646, E-mail: tmunoz{at}cspt.es.

Reprint requests: María Mercedes Nogueras, Infectious Diseases Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Parc Taulí s/n, Sabadell 08208, Spain, E-mail: mnogueras{at}cspt.es




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Copyright © 2006 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.