<i>Rickettsia felis</i>Infections, New Zealand

Lim, Mei Yin; Brady, Helen; Hambling, Tammy; Sexton, Kerry; Tompkins, Daniel M.; Slaney, David

doi:10.3201/eid1801.110996

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Though R. felis has also been associated with wild hosts such as opossums and hedgehogs (Reif and Macaluso, 2009), these studies underline the importance of contact with fleainfested domestic animals as a risk factor, and of flea control in pets as a preventative measure. Seropositivity in 2 of 24 people sampled was recently reported near Wellington, New Zealand by Lim et al (2012), though the infections may have been acquired during travel overseas. Illness in humans due to R. felis has only been documented once in Oceania; five cases occurred in a family in Victoria, Australia, in 2009 after contact with kittens (Williams et al, 2010) (Table 3).…”

Section: Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses In Oceaniamentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Human cases and flea vectors infected with Rickettsia typhi have commonly been reported in subtropical or temperate areas in Australia (Jones et al, 2004;Graves and Stenos, 2009) and the north island of New Zealand (Roberts et al, 2001;Gray et al, 2007;Irwin et al, 2013;Lim et al, 2012;Roberts et al, 2001;Lim et al, 2012) (Table 2). However, murine typhus is also considered endemic to tropical regions of Australia (ARRL, 2014).…”

Section: Typhus Group Rickettsioses In Oceaniamentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Within Australia, Queensland tick typhus, caused by Rickettsia australis and first described in 1946, is found in coastal or (Spicer et al, 2007) 16/140 (11%) regional residents seropositive for Rickettsia australis Gazelle Peninsula, East New Britain, 2002(Faa et al, 2006 19/113 (17%) antenatal patients sampled were seropositive for spotted fever group rickettsiae Australia, July, 1998-December 1999(O'Brien et al, 2001 1 case 1 of spotted fever rickettsiosis in a traveller returned from Papua New Guinea Wellington (Lim et al, 2012) 2/24 (8%) of volunteers (at an Environmental Research Agency) tested were confirmed to be R. felis seropositive Exposure: Contact with fleas, cat, rats, dog, possums, but had travelled overseas therefore infection may have not been local Australia…”

Section: Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses In Oceaniamentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Distribution of rickettsioses in Oceania: Past patterns and implications for the future

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rickettsioses present a threat to human health worldwide, but relatively little is known on their epidemiology and ecology in Oceania. These bacteria are the cause of potentially fatal febrile illnesses in humans (categorized into scrub typhus, typhus group and spotted fever group rickettsioses). They are transmitted by arthropod vectors such as ticks, mites, fleas and lice, which are associated with vertebrate host animals including rodents and companion animals. We conducted a search in the scientific and grey literature of Rickettsia spp. and Orientia tsutsugamushi within the Oceania region. Human case reports, human serosurveys and PCR-based testing of vectors and host animals reviewed here highlight the widespread distribution of these pathogens in the region, with the majority of human serological and vector surveys reporting positive results. These findings suggest that rickettsioses may have a significantly higher burden of disease in Oceania than is currently appreciated due to diagnostic challenges. Furthermore, consideration of the ecology and risk factors for rickettsioses reported for Oceania suggests that their importance as a cause of undifferentiated acute febrile illness may grow in the future: environmental and social changes driven by predicted climate change and population growth have the potential to lead to the emergence of rickettsioses as a significant public health problem in Oceania.

show abstract

Section: Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses In Oceaniamentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Typhus Group Rickettsioses In Oceaniamentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses In Oceaniamentioning

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Distribution of rickettsioses in Oceania: Past patterns and implications for the future

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Human infection with R. felis has already been reported in the US, 66 Mexico, [67][68][69] Brazil, 36 France, 36,70 Germany, 52 Spain, 54,71 Sweden, 72 Israel, 73 South Korea, 74 Taiwan, 75 Thailand, 76 Laos, 77 Tunisia, 78,79 Egypt, 80 Australia, 81 Senegal, 82 Kenya, 83,84 and New Zealand. 85 Clinical findings for R. felis infection may be confused with infection due to other rickettsial agents like R. typhi and some members of the SFG, as well as other infectious diseases like dengue, malaria, brucellosis, leptospirosis, or even other clinical conditions like Kawasaki disease. 69,77,81,83 One example of misdiagnosis is a case reported as murine typhus diagnosed by serology in 2008, which in 2010 was confirmed by PCR as an infection by R. felis and not R. typhi, using the patient's same frozen serum.…”

Section: Human Cases Of Flea-borne Spotted Fevermentioning

confidence: 99%

An update on the detection and treatment of Rickettsia felis

Hun¹,

Troyo²

2012

RRTM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rickettsia felis was described as a human pathogen almost two decades ago, and human infection is currently reported in 18 countries in all continents. The distribution of this species is worldwide, determined by the presence of the main arthropod vector, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché). The list of symptoms, which includes fever, headache, myalgia, and rash, keeps increasing as new cases with unexpected symptoms are described. Moreover, the clinical presentation of R. felis infection can be easily confused with many tropical and nontropical diseases, as well as other rickettsial infections. Although specific laboratory diagnosis and treatment for this flea-borne rickettsiosis are detailed in the scientific literature, it is possible that most human cases are not being diagnosed properly. Furthermore, since the cat flea infests different common domestic animals, contact with humans may be more frequent than reported. In this review, we provide an update on methods for specific detection of human infection by R. felis described in the literature, as well as the treatment prescribed to the patients. Considering advances in molecular detection tools, as well as options for as-yet-unreported isolation of R. felis from patients in cell culture, increased diagnosis and characterization of this emerging pathogen is warranted.

show abstract

“…Most patients infected with R. felis had contact with dogs [73,81,82] and some with cats [81,83], without reporting a history of flea exposure. However, some patients did not recall contact with animals or outdoor activities [84].…”

Section: One Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial canine vector-borne zoonotic diseases in “One Health” concept

Valiakos

2016

Int J One Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Canine vector-borne diseases constitute a large group of diseases transmitted by arthropods with worldwide distribution. A wide range of bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents that are transmitted by vectors cause disease to dogs, many of which can also affect humans and thus have an important zoonotic potential. Bacterial agents that are transmitted by vectors have been considered less important than viral or parasitic agents and are not commonly discussed in companion animal practice. However, close contact between pet animals and people offers favorable conditions for transmission of these bacteria. Many of these diseases have become a focus of interest for scientists in recent years. Increase in reservoir abundance, climate change, changing habitat structure, socio-political changes, and imports of dogs for welfare reasons and trade as well as traveling are considered to be potential factors for the pathogens and vectors introduction into new areas. Apart from, the veterinary aspect of these diseases, domestic dogs could play a central epidemiological role in the transmission of bacterial agents to humans, acting as reservoirs and sentinels, a circumstance that requires a One Health approach. This review highlights the most important of these bacterial agents, presenting updated current knowledge with special reference to treatment approach and One Health aspect.

show abstract

Rickettsia felisInfections, New Zealand

Cited by 21 publications

References 7 publications

Distribution of rickettsioses in Oceania: Past patterns and implications for the future

Distribution of rickettsioses in Oceania: Past patterns and implications for the future

An update on the detection and treatment of Rickettsia felis

Bacterial canine vector-borne zoonotic diseases in “One Health” concept

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About