Abstract
We report a clinical case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis acquired in São Paulo, Brazil. Definitive diagnosis was supported by seroconversion between acute-phase and convalescent-phase serum samples. Molecular analysis of skin samples indicated the agent was a novel spotted fever group strain closely related to Rickettsia africae, R. parkeri, and R. sibirica.
Highlights
We report a clinical case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis acquired in São Paulo, Brazil
We report a clinical case of SFG rickettsiosis acquired in an Atlantic rainforest area of the state of São Paulo, Brazil
Genetic analyses indicated that this new strain was similar to R. africae, R. parkeri, and R. sibirica
Summary
We report a clinical case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis acquired in São Paulo, Brazil. During the past 2 decades, a clear reemergence of RMSF has been seen in southeastern Brazil, where ≈350 laboratory-confirmed cases (case-fatality rate ≈30%) have been reported [1] Most of these cases were confirmed solely by serologic-based techniques; specific identification of the Rickettsia species was not achieved. Case Report On May 2, 2009, a 66-year-old man was bitten by a tick on his lumbar region while walking on his ranch within an Atlantic rainforest area. Blood serum was tested by using an immunofluorescent antibody assay with antigens from 6 Rickettsia species that are present in Brazil: R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. felis, R. amblyommii, R. rhipicephali, and R. bellii [4,5]. Rickettsia spp. serologic titers by immunofluorescent antibody assay for a Brazilian patient in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, 2009*
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