Abstract
Rickettsia felis infection in man, France.
Highlights
To the Editor: In August 2008, a 64-year-old man was admitted to the Salon-de-Provence Hospital, France
This work was overlooked until 1990, when an ELB agent was found in C. felis fleas by electron microscopy [3]; the agent was demonstrated to be a Rickettsia-like organism
R. felis is distributed worldwide, it has not been found in the northern, coldest regions
Summary
To the Editor: In August 2008, a 64-year-old man was admitted to the Salon-de-Provence Hospital, France. Serum testing at the Unité des Rickettsies (Marseilles, France), using a multiple-antigen immunofluorescent assay [1], showed the following titers: spotted fever group (SFG) (e.g., Rickettsia felis, R. conorii, R. aeschlimannii, R. massiliae) 1,024 and 512 for immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM, respectively, and typhus group 512 and 256 for IgG and IgM, respectively. Serum was tested by real-time PCR by using a probe that enabled screening for spotted fever and a probe specific for R. felis; results were negative. A Western blot with cross-adsorption [2] showed R. felis as the causative agent (Figure).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
