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Faccini-Martínez ÁA, Muñoz-Leal S, Acosta ICL, de Oliveira SV, de Lima Duré AÍ, Cerutti C, Labruna MB. Confirming Rickettsia rickettsii as the etiological agent of lethal spotted fever group rickettsiosis in human patients from Espírito Santo state, Brazil. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9:496-499. [PMID: 29371125 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although Espírito Santo state is considered an endemic area for Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) with related lethal cases, it also constitutes the only state of southeastern Brazil that currently lacks a specific confirmation of the specific rickettsial agent. In an attempt to a species level confirmation of the etiological agent of fatal rickettsiosis cases in Espírito Santo state, in this study we tested human sera obtained between 2015 to 2017 by means of qPCR and subsequent conventional PCR protocols targeting gltA (citrate synthase) and ompA (190-kDA outer membrane protein) rickettsial genes. All samples were found to contain rickettsial DNA through the citrate synthase qPCR protocol. By conventional PCR, rickettsial gltA and ompA specific DNA fragments were detected in 25% (one sample) and 50% (2 samples) of the screened sera, respectively. Obtained consensuses for each gene partial sequences were 100% identical to Rickettsia rickettsii gltA and ompA genes. The present study confirms for the first time R. rickettsii as the etiological agent of a lethal spotted fever group rickettsiosis in human patients from Espírito Santo state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro A Faccini-Martínez
- Postgraduate Program in Infectious Diseases, Health Science Center, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil; Committee of Tropical Medicine, Zoonoses and Travel Medicine, Asociación Colombiana de Infectología, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Sebastián Muñoz-Leal
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Igor C L Acosta
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Stefan Vilges de Oliveira
- Health Surveillance Secretariat of the Ministry of Health of Brazil, Brasilia, DF, Brazil; National Reference Laboratory for Rickettsial Disease Vectors, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ana Íris de Lima Duré
- Laboratory of Rickettsioses and Hantaviroses, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Crispim Cerutti
- Postgraduate Program in Infectious Diseases, Health Science Center, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Marcelo B Labruna
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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2
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Portillo A, de Sousa R, Santibáñez S, Duarte A, Edouard S, Fonseca IP, Marques C, Novakova M, Palomar AM, Santos M, Silaghi C, Tomassone L, Zúquete S, Oteo JA. Guidelines for the Detection of Rickettsia spp. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2017; 17:23-32. [PMID: 28055574 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2016.1966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) includes Gram-negative, small, obligate intracellular, nonmotile, pleomorphic coccobacilli bacteria transmitted by arthropods. Some of them cause human and probably also animal disease (life threatening in some patients). In these guidelines, we give clinical practice advices (microscopy, serology, molecular tools, and culture) for the microbiological study of these microorganisms in clinical samples. Since in our environment rickettsioses are mainly transmitted by ticks, practical information for the identification of these arthropods and for the study of Rickettsia infections in ticks has also been added.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aránzazu Portillo
- 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
| | - Rita de Sousa
- 2 National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge , Águas de Moura, Portugal
| | - Sonia Santibáñez
- 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
| | - Ana Duarte
- 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sophie Edouard
- 4 Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes, Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection , Marseille, France
| | - Isabel P Fonseca
- 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cátia Marques
- 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marketa Novakova
- 5 Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno , Brno, Czech Republic .,6 CEITEC VFU, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno , Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ana M Palomar
- 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
| | - Marcos Santos
- 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cornelia Silaghi
- 7 National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura Tomassone
- 8 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino , Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Sara Zúquete
- 3 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon , Lisbon, Portugal
| | - José A Oteo
- 1 Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases , Hospital San Pedro-CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
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Luz HR, Faccini JLH, McIntosh D. Molecular analyses reveal an abundant diversity of ticks and rickettsial agents associated with wild birds in two regions of primary Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2017; 8:657-665. [PMID: 28479066 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Brazilian wild birds are recognized as frequent and important hosts for immature stages of more than half of the 32 recognized species of Amblyomma ticks recorded in that country. Several species of Amblyomma harbor rickettsial agents, including members of the spotted fever group (SFG). Most studies on this topic relied primarily on morphological characterization and reported large portions of the collected ticks at the genus rather than species level. Clearly, this factor may have contributed to an underestimation of tick diversity and distribution and makes comparisons between studies difficult. The current investigation combined morphological and molecular analyses to assess the diversity of ticks and rickettsial agents associated with wild birds, captured in two regions of native Atlantic rainforest, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 910 birds were captured, representing two orders, 34 families and 106 species, among which 93 specimens (10.2%), were parasitized by 138 immature ticks (60 larvae and 78 nymphs), representing 10 recognized species of the genus Amblyomma; together with two reasonably well classified haplotypes (Amblyomma sp. haplotype Nazaré and Amblyomma sp. strain USNTC 6792). Amplification by PCR and sequencing of rickettsial genes (htrA, gltA, ompA and ompB), demonstrated the presence of Rickettsia DNA in 48 (34%) of the ticks. Specifically, Rickettsia bellii was detected in a single larva and a single nymph of A. aureolatum; R. amblyomatis was found in 16 of 37 A. longirostre and was recorded for the first time in three nymphs of A. calcaratum; R. rhipicephali was detected in 9 (47%) of 19 Amblyomma sp. haplotype Nazaré ticks. The remaining ticks were infected with genetic variants of R. parkeri, namely strain ApPR in 12 A. parkeri and seven Amblyomma sp. haplotype Nazaré ticks, with the strain NOD found in two specimens of A. nodosum. Interestingly, a single larvae of A. ovale was shown to be infected with the emerging human pathogen Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest (ARF), suggesting a possible role for birds in the dispersal of ticks infected with this variant of R. parkeri. The diversity of ticks and Rickettsia recorded in this study is, to our knowledge, the most abundant recorded to date in Brazil and highlighted the value of employing methods capable of providing species level identification of the ixodofauna of wild birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermes Ribeiro Luz
- Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - João Luiz Horacio Faccini
- Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Douglas McIntosh
- Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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A cluster of Rickettsia rickettsii infection at an animal shelter in an urban area of Brazil. Epidemiol Infect 2014; 143:2446-50. [PMID: 25483025 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268814003161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Rickettsia rickettsii infection is being increasingly recognized as an important cause of fatal acute illness in Brazil, where this tick-borne disease is designated Brazilian spotted fever (BSF). In this study we report five fatal cases of BSF in employees of an animal shelter in an urban area in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil after a natural disaster on 11 January 2011. Four of the cases occurred from 27 January to 11 April 2011, while the fifth fatal case was identified in April 2012. Three cases were confirmed by molecular analysis and two by epidemiological linkage. An investigation of BSF was performed in the animal shelter, and blood samples were collected from 115 employees and 117 randomly selected dogs. The presence of high levels (1024-4096) of antibodies against spotted fever group rickettsiae was found in three (2·6%) employees and 114 (97·5%) dogs. These findings emphasize the need to consider BSF as a possible cause of undifferentiated febrile illness, especially dengue and leptospirosis, in patients occupationally exposed to dogs heavily infested by ticks, mainly working at kennels and animal shelters that have inadequate space for the animals housed and frequently providing an environment conducive to exposure to pathogens such as R. rickettsii.
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Eremeeva ME, Shpynov SN, Tokarevich NK. MODERN APPROACHES TO LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF RICKETTSIAL DISEASES. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND IMMUNITY 2014. [DOI: 10.15789/2220-7619-2014-2-113-134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. We present a concise review of contemporary laboratory methods for diagnosis of rickettsioses with special emphasis on diseases known in Russian Federation. Classic and emerging rickettsioses are transmitted by a diverse and expanding group of arthropod vectors including ticks, fleas, lice and mites. While epidemiological and clinical clues can provide information important for initial suspicion of rickettsial infection, sensitive and specific laboratory methods are necessary for providing probable or confirmed diagnosis of the rickettsial infection. Accurate and rapid confirmation of rickettsial infection is important for ensuring proper clinical care and prompt initiation of antibiotic therapy. Correct identification of the etiology of rickettsial diseases is also important for early identification of clustered cases, novel foci of infections, and for timely initiation of public health responses to these potentially fatal infections.
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Medeiros AP, Souza APD, Moura ABD, Lavina MS, Bellato V, Sartor AA, Nieri-Bastos FA, Richtzenhain LJ, Labruna MB. Spotted fever group Rickettsia infecting ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2011; 106:926-30. [DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762011000800005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2011] [Accepted: 09/12/2011] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
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Favacho ARDM, Rozental T, Calic SB, Scofield MAM, Lemos ERSD. Fatal Brazilian spotless fever caused by Rickettsia rickettsii in a dark-skinned patient. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2011; 44:395-6. [DOI: 10.1590/s0037-86822011000300028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2010] [Accepted: 02/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is the most important and frequent rickettsial disease in Brazil. A fatal case of BSF is reported in a 32-year-old black man, who died of irreversible shock after five days of fever, severe headache and abdominal pain with no rash. Spleen, kidney and heart samples collected at autopsy were positive for Rickettsia rickettsii by PCR and sequencing. The authors emphasize the need for a high index of diagnostic suspicion for spotted fever in black patients. Absence of a skin rash should not dissuade clinicians from considering the possibility of BSF and initiating empirical therapy.
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de Almeida DN, Favacho AR, Rozental T, Barcaui H, Guterres A, Gomes R, Levis S, Coelho J, Chebabo A, Costa LC, Andrea S, Barroso PF, de Lemos ER. Fatal spotted fever group rickettsiosis due to Rickettsia conorii conorii mimicking a hemorrhagic viral fever in a South African traveler in Brazil. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2010; 1:149-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2010.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2010] [Revised: 04/29/2010] [Accepted: 05/10/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Rozental T, Favacho A, Barreira J, Oliveira R, Gomes R, Almeida D, Lemos E. Rickettsia spp. infection in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks in a Brazilian spotted fever endemic rural area in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Clin Microbiol Infect 2009; 15 Suppl 2:245-6. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2008.02170.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Weinberger M, Keysary A, Sandbank J, Zaidenstein R, Itzhaki A, Strenger C, Leitner M, Paddock CD, Eremeeva ME. Fatal Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis infection, Israel. Emerg Infect Dis 2008; 14:821-4. [PMID: 18439372 PMCID: PMC2600240 DOI: 10.3201/eid1405.071278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Underdiagnosis of fatal spotted fever may be attributed to nonspecific clinical features and insensitive acute-phase serologic studies. We describe the importance of molecular and immunohistochemical methods in establishing the postmortem diagnosis of locally acquired Israeli spotted fever due to Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis in a traveler returning to Israel from India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Weinberger
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin 70300, Israel.
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11
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Wikswo ME, Hu R, Dasch GA, Krueger L, Arugay A, Jones K, Hess B, Bennett S, Kramer V, Eremeeva ME. Detection and identification of spotted fever group rickettsiae in Dermacentor species from southern California. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2008; 45:509-516. [PMID: 18533446 DOI: 10.1603/0022-2585(2008)45[509:daiosf]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Dermacentor occidentalis Marx and Dermacentor variabilis (Say) commonly bite humans in California. These Dermacentor species may play a role in transmitting spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae to humans in many parts of the state where Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, a known vector for the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Rickettsia rickettsii, is absent. However, the specific rickettsial agents present in these ticks and their current prevalence are poorly understood. In total, 365 D. occidentalis and 10 D. variabilis were collected by flagging vegetation at 16 sites in five counties of southern California. The presence of SFG rickettsial DNA in these ticks was detected with rOmpA and GltA gene polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The rickettsial species were identified by sequencing PCR amplicons. Of 365 D. occidentalis, 90 (24.7%) contained R. rhipicephali DNA, 28 (7.7%) contained DNA of unclassified genotype 364D, two (0.55%) contained R. bellii DNA, and one (0.3%) contained R. rickettsii DNA. Of 10 D. variabilis, four (40%) contained only R. rhipicephali. Four new genotypes of R. rhipicephali were discovered. For the first time, we detected R. rickettsii in D. occidentalis. Our study provides the first molecular data on the prevalence and species identification of SFG rickettsiae circulating in populations of these California ticks. Because neither D. variabilis nor R. rickettsii were abundant, 364D should be evaluated further as a potential cause of human SFG rickettsioses in southern California.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Wikswo
- National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-borne and Enteric Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
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Abstract
A 63-year-old previously healthy woman developed a severe systemic infection 5 days after returning from a holiday to Southern Portugal. She subsequently died, and polymerase chain reaction of a blood sample was positive for Rickettsia conorii ssp israeliensis. The prevalence of severe forms of this illness in the Mediterranean Basin is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Y Chai
- Department of Medicine, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK
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