Molecular evidence of Rickettsia felis infection in dogs from northern territory, Australia

Hii, Sze Fui; Kopp, Steven; Thompson, Mindi N.; O’Leary, C. A.; Rees, Robert; Traub, Rebecca J.

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-4-198

Cited by 37 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Seropositive dogs were found in each area studied with prevalences from 13-100%, similar to the 51% reported in Spain and Australia, and ≤13% in Brazil [9],[10]. There were significantly fewer seropositive cats (5-30%; two-tailed chi square analysis, P < 10 −4 ), similar to the low level reported in the US (< 11%) [11].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 79%

See 1 more Smart Citation

First report of Rickettsia felisin China

Zhang

Kelly

et al. 2014

BMC Infect Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundRickettsia felis is a recently described flea-borne spotted fever group Rickettsia that is an emerging human pathogen. Although there is information on the organism from around the world, there is no information on the organism in China.MethodsWe used a commercial ELISA to detect antibodies reactive against R. felis in blood samples and developed a PCR to detect the gltA of the organism in blood samples and external parasites.ResultsWe found reactive antibodies in people (16%; 28/180), dogs (47%; 128/271) and cats (21%; 19/90) and positive PCRs with DNA from people (0.1%; 1/822), dogs (0.8%; 8/1,059), mice (10%; 1/10), ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus; 10%; 15/146), lice (Linognathus setosus; 16%; 6/37), fleas (Ctenocephalides felis felis; 95%; 57/60) and mosquitoes (Anopheles sinensis, Culex pipiens pallens; 6%; 25/428), but not from cats (0/135) or canine fecal swabs (0/43).ConclusionsThis is the first report of R. felis in China where there is serological and/ or PCR evidence of the organism in previously reported [people, dogs, cats, ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), fleas (Ctenocephalides felis felis) and mosquitoes (Anopheles sinensis, Culex pipiens pallens)] and novel species [mice and lice (Linognathus setosus)].Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0682-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Although it has been suggested there might be high specificity of R. felis in serological tests [9] there is at least some serological cross reactivity between R. felis and other Rickettsia spp. present in China [1].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

First report of Rickettsia felisin China

Zhang

Kelly

et al. 2014

BMC Infect Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The range of vertebrate species serving as R. felis reservoir hosts is largely unknown, although the role of dogs as potential reservoir hosts has been suggested (34,35). R. felis has been detected in the blood of patients with fever of unknown origin, as well as in asymptomatic persons in Africa (5-7), raising questions about the role of humans as R. felis reservoirs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission potential of Rickettsia felis infection by Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes

Dieme

Bechah

Socolovschi

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

138

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A growing number of recent reports have implicated Rickettsia felis as a human pathogen, paralleling the increasing detection of R. felis in arthropod hosts across the globe, primarily in fleas. Here Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, the primary malarial vectors in subSaharan Africa, were fed with either blood meal infected with R. felis or infected cellular media administered in membrane feeding systems. In addition, a group of mosquitoes was fed on R. felisinfected BALB/c mice. The acquisition and persistence of R. felis in mosquitoes was demonstrated by quantitative PCR detection of the bacteria up to day 15 postinfection. R. felis was detected in mosquito feces up to day 14. Furthermore, R. felis was visualized by immunofluorescence in salivary glands, in and around the gut, and in the ovaries, although no vertical transmission was observed. R. felis was also found in the cotton used for sucrose feeding after the mosquitoes were fed infected blood. Natural bites from R. felisinfected An. gambiae were able to cause transient rickettsemias in mice, indicating that this mosquito species has the potential to be a vector of R. felis infection. This is particularly important given the recent report of high prevalence of R. felis infection in patients with "fever of unknown origin" in malaria-endemic areas.Rickettsia felis | spotted fever | Anopheles gambiae I n 2002, Rickettsia felis, an obligate intracellular bacterium that belongs to the spotted fever group of Rickettsia, was definitively described (1, 2). Over the past 2 decades, an increasing number of reports have implicated R. felis as a human pathogen, paralleling an increase in reports of the detection of R. felis in arthropod hosts throughout the world (1, 3).By 2011, more than 70 human cases of R. felis had been reported worldwide, including in Central and South America, Asia, northern Africa, and Europe (1). More cases have been published since then, including the first probable human cases in Australia (4). In sub-Saharan Africa, recent studies have challenged the importance of R. felis infection in patients with "fever of unknown origin," with this bacterium detected in up to 15% of such patients (5-7). In 2011, a potential R. felis primary infection, called "yaaf," was suspected in the case of an 8-mo-old girl in Senegal with polymorphous skin lesions similar to those seen in patients from Mexico (8). The epidemiologic and clinical picture of this emerging infection in Africa, including its potential vectors, is poorly understood, however.Various arthropods, but primarily fleas, have been associated with R. felis (1, 3). More specifically, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the arthropod in which R. felis has been most frequently detected. To date, it is the sole confirmed biological vector of R. felis, with both horizontal and vertical transmission making this flea a potential reservoir for this bacterium (9-11). However, in some countries where R. felis appears to be highly prevalent, such as Senegal, neither cat fleas nor other arthropods have been...

show abstract

“…In recent years, rats in the park were found by vector surveillance, the capture rate of rats is as high as 10.4%. The risk of contracting infection from chiggers has increased through ecotourism [31,32] and increasing leisure time in city park. When considering activities and infection risks in parks, we conclude that parks can become epidemic foci for scrub typhus infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%