Severe human infection with Rickettsia felis associated with hepatitis in Yucatan, Mexico

Zavala-Castro, Jorge; Zavala-Velázquez, Jorge E.; Walker, David H.; Pérez-Osorio, Jorge; Peniche-Lara, Gaspar

doi:10.1016/j.ijmm.2009.03.002

Cited by 50 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…In another study, in an endemic area of murine typhus in California, USA,Karpathy et al (2009) found that opossums and their fleas were more often infected with R. felis than R. typhi. Taken in conjunction with reports of the presence of opossums near households of R. felis-infected patients(Zavala-Velázquez et al 2000;Zavala-Castro et al 2009), the poor condition of the households sampled, and the record of C. felis in opossums(Eckerlin 2005), D. virginiana could have a key role in the peridomestic/domestic life cycle of R. felis in Yucatan.…”

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confidence: 58%

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Detection of Rickettsia felis in Wild Mammals from Three Municipalities in Yucatan, Mexico

Panti–May¹,

Torres–Castro

Hernández-Betancourt

et al. 2014

EcoHealth

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The aim of this study was to provide information of the occurrence of Rickettsia felis in wild mammals from three municipalities in Yucatan, Mexico. The reactivity of rodent serum to Rickettsia antigens was detected in 80.9% (17 of 21) samples using immunofluorescence assay. Polymerase chain reaction identified rickettsial DNA in spleens of 43.5% (10 of 23) rodents and 57.1% (4 of 7) opossums. The identification of the rickettsial DNA was confirmed as R. felis by restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing. This study comprises the first report of R. felis detection in wild mammals in Yucatan.

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confidence: 58%

“…Since then, several cases have supported the importance of this bacterium as an emergent threat to humans in Yucatan (Zavala-Velázquez et al 2000Zavala-Castro et al 2009). An additional study examined potential vectors (ticks, fleas, and lice) collected from dogs, and identified C. felis fleas as host of R. felis in Yucatan (Zavala-Velázquez et al 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

Detection of Rickettsia felis in Wild Mammals from Three Municipalities in Yucatan, Mexico

Panti–May¹,

Torres–Castro

Hernández-Betancourt

et al. 2014

EcoHealth

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“…In humans, R. felis is considered an emerging pathogen as the etiologic agent of flea-borne rickettsiosis (Perez-Osorio et al 2008). Clinical characteristics of R. felis rickettsiosis range from a mild to moderate flu-like illness with symptoms similar to other rickettsial infections, including fever, headache, and fatigue to severe disease associated with hepatic, pulmonary, and central nervous system manifestations (ZavalaVelazquez et al 2000, Zavala-Castro et al 2009). Molecular and serological surveys have detected R. felis infection of peridomestic mammals that commonly serve as hosts for fleas, including dogs, cats, and opossums (Schriefer et al 1994, Richter et al 2002, Labruna et al 2007); however, a persistently infected vertebrate reservoir has yet to be clearly implicated in the transmission cycle.…”

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confidence: 99%

Acquisition ofRickettsia felisby Cat Fleas During Feeding

Reif

Kearney²,

Foil³

et al. 2011

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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Evidence for horizontal routes of transmission for Rickettsia felis has come from detection of R. felis infection in vertebrates and multiple blood-feeding arthropods; however, infection of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis, during blood feeding has not been demonstrated. In this study, the ability of cat fleas to acquire R. felis through an infectious blood meal with subsequent vertical transmission was examined. Utilizing an artificial feeding system, Rickettsia-naive fleas were exposed to R. felis-infected blood meals and monitored for subsequent infection at weekly intervals for 4 weeks. At 7 days postexposure (dpe) *52% of fleas successfully acquired rickettsiae and R. felis DNA; rickettsial transcript and DNA was detected in cat flea feces. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction determined that both the R. felis infection load and R. felis infection density was significantly greater in fleas assessed at later time points. Although a persistent R. felis infection was detected in adult fleas, R. felis infection was not observed in F 1 progeny. This study demonstrates that cat fleas are able to acquire R. felis infection from an infectious blood meal and will serve as a model to examine R. felis transmission between arthropod and vertebrate hosts.

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“…3,21,22 Therefore, it is likely that infections caused by this pathogen are underestimated and misdiagnosed by the medical community throughout Central America. Because R. felis may cause severe illness in some individuals, 3,23 proper physician education, disease awareness, and adequate diagnosis are essential.…”

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Rickettsia felis in Ctenocephalides felis from Guatemala and Costa Rica

Troyo¹,

Álvarez²,

Taylor³

et al. 2012

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Rickettsia felis is an emerging human pathogen associated primarily with the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. In this study, we investigated the presence of Rickettsia felis in C. felis from Guatemala and Costa Rica. Ctenocephalides felis were collected directly from dogs and cats, and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for Rickettsia-specific fragments of 17-kDa protein, OmpA, and citrate synthase genes. Rickettsia DNA was detected in 64% (55 of 86) and 58% (47 of 81) of flea pools in Guatemala and Costa Rica, respectively. Sequencing of gltA fragments identified R. felis genotype URRWXCal 2 in samples from both countries, and genotype Rf2125 in Costa Rica. This is the first report of R. felis in Guatemala and of genotype Rf2125 in Costa Rica. The extensive presence of this pathogen in countries of Central America stresses the need for increased awareness and diagnosis.

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Severe human infection with Rickettsia felis associated with hepatitis in Yucatan, Mexico

Cited by 50 publications

References 12 publications

Detection of Rickettsia felis in Wild Mammals from Three Municipalities in Yucatan, Mexico

Detection of Rickettsia felis in Wild Mammals from Three Municipalities in Yucatan, Mexico

Acquisition ofRickettsia felisby Cat Fleas During Feeding

Rickettsia felis in Ctenocephalides felis from Guatemala and Costa Rica

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