Abstract
<i>Rickettsia felis</i>Infections, New Zealand
Highlights
Antibodies against R. felis in human sera are known to cross-react with R. typhi in immunofluorescence assay (IFA) [5]
We report on the trial in New Zealand of Western blot (WB) and crossadsorption assays for differentiating retrospectively between past R. typhi and R. felis infections and evidence of R. felis infection in persons living in the country
*IFA, indirect immunofluorescence assay; ARRL, Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory; WB, Western blot; neg, negative. †The cutoff titer for seropositivity was 128 as recommended by the manufacturer. ‡According to kit instructions, endpoint titers t64 and
Summary
In New Zealand, only Rickettsia typhi and R. felis, belonging to the typhus and spotted fever groups, respectively, have so far been found [1]. At the end of 2009, a total of 47 cases of murine typhus had been recorded in New Zealand. The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) can carry R. felis in New Zealand [3], no human infections have been reported.
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