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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 80(6), 2009, pp. 1029-1030
Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


A Survey of Antibodies against Rickettsia rickettsii and Ehrlichia chafeensis in Domestic Animals from a Rural Area of Colombia

Marylin Hidalgo, Juan Fernando Vesga, Diana Lizarazo, AND Gustavo Valbuena*
Grupo de Microbiología, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá, Colombia; Department of Pathology and Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

 

ABSTRACT

In a rural area of Colombia endemic for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, we performed indirect immunofluorescent antibody assays for Rickettsia spp. and Ehrlichia spp. using sera from randomly sampled dogs and horses to test the use of domestic animals as possible sentinels. Antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. were detected in 8 dogs (31.8%). Antibody titers against Rickettsia rickettsii antigen were positive in 4 dogs (18.2%) and 26 horses (16.3%). These values, albeit not directly comparable, are lower than those previously reported for humans in this region. A systemic approach to understanding dynamics of transmission is needed before implementing the use of domestic animals for disease surveillance activities.

Received December 10, 2008. Accepted for publication February 17, 2009.

Financial support: This study was supported by grant 1204-04-16332 from Instituto Colombiano para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y la Tecnología Francisco José de Caldas, Colciencias to Gustavo Valbuena.

Disclaimer: None of the authors has any conflicts of interest.

* Address correspondence to Gustavo Valbuena, Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0609. E-mail: gvalbuen{at}utmb.edu

Authors’ addresses: Marylin Hidalgo, Juan Fernando Vesga, and Diana Lizarazo, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Grupo de Microbiología, AV Cll 26 No. 51-60, Bogotá, Colombia, E-mails: mhidalgo{at}ins.gov.co, jfvesga{at}cable.net.co, and dianaliz20{at}yahoo.com. Gustavo Valbuena, Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0609, E-mail: gval-buen{at}utmb.edu.

Reprint requests: Gustavo Valbuena, Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0609, E-mail: gvalbuen{at}utmb.edu.






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Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.