Rickettsia conorii in Greece: Comparison of a Microimmunofluorescence Assay and Western Blotting for Seroepidemiology

Babalis, T.; Dupont, Hervé; Tselentis, Yannis; Chatzichristodoulou, Christos; Raoult, Didier

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1993.48.784

Cited by 34 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…From the high prevalence of antibodies in northern Greece detected in this study, as in other parts of the country, [9][10][11] it is obvious that Rickettsiae are widely distributed in Greece. This finding confirms the fact that rickettsioses remain a significant health problem in many parts of the world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…6,7 As for Greece, rickettsiosis is thought to be one of the possible causes of the Athenian epidemic of 430-426 BC, which took place at the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War and caused the death of Pericles. 8 In recent years, seroepidemiological surveys conducted in the island of Crete (southern Greece), 9 the province of Fokida (central Greece), 10 and the province of Evia (central Greece) [11][12][13] revealed the presence of antibodies to R. conorii and R. typhi in the population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence of Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia typhi infections in the population of northern Greece.

Daniel¹,

Manika²,

Arvanmdou³

et al. 2002

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Seroepidemical surveys concerning the prevalence of Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia typhi have never been studied in northern Greece. We examined 1,584 sera samples from residents of northern Greece for the detection of antibodies to R. conorii and to R. typhi by means of immunofluorescence assay. In addition, we compared the prevalence of rickettsial infections among the demographic variables of sex, age, occupation, and area of residence. Antibodies to R. conorii and R. typhi were found in 125 (7.9%) and 31 (2.0%) of the examined subjects, respectively. The prevalence of antibodies to R. conorii correlated with increasing age and was statistically higher in men. Farmers had significantly higher prevalence of antibodies to both species of rickettsiae studied versus other professions. Residents of rural areas showed a statistically higher prevalence for R. conorii versus urban residents, although this difference was not demonstrated for R. typhi. We also detected differences in the prevalence of rickettsial infections among the different prefectures. Our data show the wide distribution of R. conorii in northern Greece and indicate the presence of R. typhi.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia typhi infections in the population of northern Greece.

Daniel¹,

Manika²,

Arvanmdou³

et al. 2002

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…As mentioned in other reports, human cases of spotted fever rickettsiosis have been accurately characterized using Western immunoblotting. [16][17][18][19] Based on the immunoblotting and IFA data, we would predict that the rickettsia is a member of the SFG other than R. akari, R. rickettsii, and R. honei, but likely more closely related to R. akari. By itself, as in this study, Western immunoblotting can also indicate that there is a new antigen circulating in the region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the same way, the lack of cross-reactivity in the remaining nine sera samples with the lowest titer (1/64) is not surprising, probably because the quantity of antibodies was less than the limit of detection for some of the species in this kind of test. The absence of detected reactivity with the specific high molecular weight proteins (rOmpA and rOmpB) [14][15][16][17][18][19] prevents the conclusion that R. akari (or any of the analyzed species) is the etiologic species for this humoral immune response. Even though the serologic investigation did not establish the specific causative organism either by IFA or by Western immunoblot, the data indicate that the etiologic agent belongs to the SFG.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serologic study of the prevalence of rickettsiosis in Yucatán: evidence for a prevalent spotted fever group rickettsiosis.

Zavala-Velázquez¹,

Ruiz-Sosa²,

Vado-Solís³

et al. 1999

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Because of the discovery of a spotted fever group rickettsiosis with signs and symptoms similar to dengue fever in Yucatán, Mexico, immunofluorescence assay (IFA) serology was performed on sera from 390 persons selected from a representative geographic distribution of rural Yucatán to detect antibodies reactive with Rickettsia rickettsii, R. akari, a Thai strain (TT-118) that is most closely related to a rickettsia identified in Amblyomma cajennense ticks in southern Texas, and R. typhi. The IFA antibodies at titers Ն 1 : 64 against R. akari were detected in 22 (5.6%) of the samples with the expected cross-reactivity against the other antigens of the spotted fever group. Immunoblotting with antigens of R. akari identified antibodies against antigens of spotted fever group lipopolysaccharides and not against rickettsial outer membrane proteins A and B, which contain the species-specific epitopes. A rickettsiosis most likely caused by a relative of R. akari appears to be both prevalent and widely distributed geographically in Yucatán.Rickettsioses are caused by small, gram-negative, obligately intracellular bacteria of the family Rickettsiaceae. 1 In Mexico during the decades from 1930 to 1950, cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever were observed in Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa and Sonora, where the vector was identified to be Rhipicephalus sanguineus. [2][3][4] Additionally, the isolation of a spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia was reported from Amblyomma cajennense found in Veracruz. 5 Furthermore, a study performed in 1993 in patients from Jalisco and Yucatan who were suspected clinically to have dengue fever, but did not develop antibodies to dengue viruses, showed that 40% of the cases were serologically an endemic rickettsiosis. Those sera contained IgM antibody titers equal to or greater than 1/128 reactive with Rickettsia rickettsii and/or R. akari. 6 Recently, an SFG rickettsia was identified in A. cajennense ticks in southern Texas that is most clearly related to a strain (TT-118) that had been isolated from a pool of larval Rhipicephalus and Ixodes ticks from Thailand. 7,8 DNA sequence analysis subsequently demonstrated that the southern Texas rickettsia and strain TT-118 are both R. honei, the etiologic agent of Flinders Island spotted fever in Australia. 9 Amblyomma cajennense, A. immitator, A. mitens, and Boophilus microphus are the most prevalent ticks encountered in the State of Yucatán. 10 Based on the previous study, the objective of the present work was to determine the prevalence of antibodies to the genus Rickettsia in humans in the State of Yucatán. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sera.The sample was established according to a statistical design using the software Epi-Info 6.02 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA and World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland), based on a previous study. The confidence level was 95%, the standard error was 5%, and the estimated seroprevalence was 50%, the estimate that would require the largest sample size. The study w...

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“…41 In this work, sera were screened from a titer of 1:50 and were considered positive at a titer of 1:100. Although the IF assay is the reference method for detecting antibodies against rickettsiae, cross-reactivity may exist between the members of each group.…”

Section: Amblyomma Variegatummentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick-borne rickettiosis in Guadeloupe, the French West Indies: isolation of Rickettsia africae from Amblyomma variegatum ticks and serosurvey in humans, cattle, and goats.

Parola¹,

Vestris²,

Martinez³

et al. 1999

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Twenty-seven rickettsiae were isolated and/or detected from 100 Amblyomma variegatum ticks collected on Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. In this study, the polymerase chain reaction procedure appeared to be more sensitive in detecting rickettsiae in ticks than the shell-vial technique. Sequencing a portion of the outer membrane protein A-encoding gene showed that these rickettsiae appeared to be identical to Rickettsia africae, a member of the spotted fever group rickettsiae recently described as an agent of African tick-bite fever occurring in sub-Sahelian Africa. A high seroprevalence of antibodies to R. africae was demonstrated among mammals, particularly humans, cattle, and goats. These results and a recently reported case of an infection due to R. africae on Guadeloupe demonstrate that R. africae is present on this island. Although this disease has been underdiagnosed there, it may be frequent and may exist on other Caribbean islands where A. variegatum has propagated dramatically over recent years.Bacteria of the genus Rickettsia are gram-negative intracellular bacilli associated with arthropods.

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Rickettsia conorii in Greece: Comparison of a Microimmunofluorescence Assay and Western Blotting for Seroepidemiology

Cited by 34 publications

References 0 publications

Prevalence of Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia typhi infections in the population of northern Greece.

Prevalence of Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia typhi infections in the population of northern Greece.

Serologic study of the prevalence of rickettsiosis in Yucatán: evidence for a prevalent spotted fever group rickettsiosis.

Tick-borne rickettiosis in Guadeloupe, the French West Indies: isolation of Rickettsia africae from Amblyomma variegatum ticks and serosurvey in humans, cattle, and goats.

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