ABSTRACT
Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) rickettsiosis is the most common and recognized of the human rickettsioses in Brazil. It is difficult to establish the diagnosis of human rickettsiosis infection by routine microbiologic methods, creating a false idea that Rickettsia and Ehrlichia infections are rare and without importance. New tick-borne diseases, like human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) and human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), have been described in many countries. These diseases can present symptoms similar to rickettsioses of the spotted fever group, and they are transmitted by ixodid ticks. The first two suspected cases of human ehrlichiosis in Brazil were first considered to be cases of BSF. The differential diagnosis was made at the Minas Gerais Rickettsiosis Public Health Laboratory. The clinical and laboratory findings, with positive serology for the HME agent, indicated suspected cases of human ehrlichioses in Brazil.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Chloramphenicol/therapeutic use , Ehrlichiosis/epidemiology , Adult , Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Brazil/epidemiology , Ehrlichia chaffeensis/immunology , Ehrlichiosis/diagnosis , Ehrlichiosis/drug therapy , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) rickettsiosis is the most common and recognized of the human rickettsioses in Brazil. It is difficult to establish the diagnosis of human rickettsiosis infection by routine microbiologic methods, creating a false idea that Rickettsia and Ehrlichia infections are rare and without importance. New tick-borne diseases, like Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) and Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (HME), have been described in many countries. These diseases can present symptoms similar to rickettsioses of the spotted fever group, and they are transmitted by ixodid ticks. The first two suspected cases of human ehrlichiosis in Brazil were first considered to be cases of BSF. The differential diagnosis was made at the Minas Gerais Rickettsiosis Public Health Laboratory. The clinical and laboratory findings, with positive serology for the HME agent, indicated suspected cases of human ehrlichioses in Brazil.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Antibodies, Bacterial , Chloramphenicol , Ehrlichia chaffeensis , EhrlichiosisABSTRACT
This article describes a serological survey for rickettsiosis in the county of Novo Cruzeiro, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in 1998, testing schoolchildren and dogs. Sera included 331 samples from schoolchildren from an endemic area and 142 samples from schoolchildren from a non-endemic area in the county. All children examined were healthy and had not reported clinical symptoms of Brazilian spotted fever prior to the serological survey. Some 35 children in the endemic area were reactive to Rickettsia rickettsiiby indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) with a titer of 1:64, corresponding to 10.6%. Sera from 73 dogs were tested, showing seroreactivity (IFA 1:64) to Rickettsia rickettsi, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and Ehrlichia canisin 3 (4.11%), 11 (15.07%), and 13 (17.81%), respectively. The results in schoolchildren and the presence of canine seroreactivity to Ehrlichiaspecies that are potentially pathogenic to humans suggests the risk of transmission of other Rickettsiaein the study area.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/analysis , Communicable Diseases, Emerging/epidemiology , Endemic Diseases/statistics & numerical data , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/epidemiology , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , Child , Communicable Diseases, Emerging/blood , Communicable Diseases, Emerging/veterinary , Dog Diseases/blood , Dog Diseases/epidemiology , Dogs , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect , Humans , Prevalence , Rickettsia rickettsii , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/blood , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/veterinary , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Siphonaptera , TicksABSTRACT
O trabalho descreve um inquérito sorológico para rickettsioses em escolares e cäes de Novo Cruzeiro, Minas Gerais, Brasil, em 1998. Trezentos e trinta e um escolares pertenciam a uma área endêmica e 142 a uma área näo endêmica do município. Trinta e nove (10,1 por cento) soros foram reativos à Reaçäo de Imunofluorescência Indireta (RIFI) para Rickettsia rickettsiino título de 1:64, sendo que dentre esses reativos, 35 eram de estudantes de escolas de área endêmica. Dentre os 73 cäes analisados quanto à presença de anticorpos anti R. rickettsii, anti Ehrlichia chaffeensise anti Ehrlichia canisà RIFI no título de 1:64, 3 (4,11 por cento), 11 (15,07 por cento) e 13 (17,81 por cento) desses animais foram reativos respectivamente aos antígenos testados. Conclui-se que, a sororeatividade para R. rickettsiiem indivíduos sadios sem história prévia de febre maculosa brasileira, uma doença marcante por sua alta letalidade, e a presença de sororeatividade para Ehrlichiacom potencial patogênico para o homem em cäes, nos leva a indagar sobre a transmissäo ao homem de outras espécies da família Rickettsiae na área estudada
Subject(s)
Humans , Animals , Child , Dogs , Antibodies, Bacterial , Communicable Diseases, Emerging , Endemic Diseases , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever , Brazil , Communicable Diseases, Emerging , Dog Diseases , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect , Prevalence , Rickettsia rickettsii , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Siphonaptera , TicksABSTRACT
In June 2000, suspected cases of Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) occurred in Coronel Fabriciano Municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Pooled fleas collected near two fatal cases contained rickettsial DNA. The nucleotide sequence alignment of the 391-bp segment of the 17-kDa protein gene showed that the products were identical to each other and to the R. felis 17-kDa gene, confirming circulation of R. felis in Brazil.
