Rickettsia slovacaInfection, France

Frédérique Gouriet,Didier Raoult,Jean-Marc Rolain

doi:10.3201/eid1203.050911

Frédérique Gouriet, Didier Raoult + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1203.050911

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Abstract

<i>Rickettsia slovaca</i>Infection, France

Highlights

To the Editor: Rickettsia slovaca was first isolated in 1968 in a Dermacentor marginatus tick collected in Slovakia, and serologic evidence of infection with this bacteria was reported in patients with enlarged lymph nodes and a scalp eschar after being bitten by a tick [1]
We describe 14 new patients with tickborne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA) from southern France who sought treatment from January 2004 to May 2005 and compare the features of these patients with those in whom Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) was diagnosed during the same period
For serum specimens confirmed by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) at the species level, Western immunoblotting and cross-adsorption assays procedures were performed as described elsewhere [6] by using R. conorii conorii and R. slovaca antigens

Summary

Introduction

To the Editor: Rickettsia slovaca was first isolated in 1968 in a Dermacentor marginatus tick collected in Slovakia, and serologic evidence of infection with this bacteria was reported in patients with enlarged lymph nodes and a scalp eschar after being bitten by a tick [1]. The first proven case of R. slovaca infection was reported only in 1997 in France [2]. All the patients were referred to our center with a suspected rickettsial infection characterized by a tick bite located on the scalp, an inoculation eschar, and enlarged lymph nodes (see online Appendix Figure, available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no03/05-0911-appG .htm).

Results

Conclusion