ABSTRACT
Rickettsia australis, the etiologic agent of Queensland tick typhus (QTT), is increasingly being recognized as a cause of community-acquired acute febrile illness in eastern Australia. Changing human population demographics, climate change, and increased understanding of expanding vector distribution indicate QTT is an emerging public health threat. This review summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment principles, and future directions of this disease. Increased recognition of QTT will enable consideration of and prompt treatment of R. australis infection by clinicians in Australia.
Subject(s)
Tick-Borne Diseases/epidemiology , Tick-Borne Diseases/physiopathology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/epidemiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/physiopathology , Animals , Arachnid Vectors , Australia/epidemiology , Geography , Humans , Rickettsia/isolation & purification , Tick-Borne Diseases/transmission , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/transmissionSubject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Disease Reservoirs , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Rickettsia prowazekii , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne , Zoonoses , Animals , Chi-Square Distribution , Chloramphenicol/administration & dosage , Disease Reservoirs/microbiology , Disease Reservoirs/statistics & numerical data , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Humans , Rickettsia prowazekii/drug effects , Rickettsia prowazekii/isolation & purification , Risk Factors , Sciuridae/microbiology , Serum Bactericidal Antibody Assay/methods , Serum Bactericidal Antibody Assay/statistics & numerical data , Tetracycline/administration & dosage , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/diagnosis , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/epidemiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/microbiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/physiopathology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/transmission , United States/epidemiology , Zoonoses/epidemiology , Zoonoses/microbiology , Zoonoses/transmissionSubject(s)
Bites and Stings/physiopathology , Ticks , Travel , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/physiopathology , Adolescent , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bites and Stings/drug therapy , Doxycycline/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Queensland , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/drug therapySubject(s)
Host-Parasite Interactions , Phagocytes/parasitology , Animals , Binding Sites , Cattle , Cell Membrane/metabolism , Chagas Disease/parasitology , Chagas Disease/physiopathology , Humans , Lysosomes/parasitology , Macrophage Activation , Mice , Oxygen/metabolism , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Toxoplasmosis/parasitology , Toxoplasmosis/physiopathology , Tuberculosis/physiopathology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/parasitology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/physiopathologyABSTRACT
A nonhuman primate model of clinical Rickettsia prowazekii infections was developed in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Monkeys infected intravenously with 10(7) plaque-forming units developed clinical signs of illness and pathological changes characteristic of epidemic typhus infection in humans. Increases in total leukocyte counts, serum alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, and serum glutamic pyruvate transaminase values were observed. Microscopic examination revealed typical typhus nodules in the brains of two monkeys that died. These data indicated that the cynomolgus monkey is a suitable model for study of the pathogenesis of epidemic typhus infection and may prove valuable in the evaluation of candidate R. prowazekii vaccines.
