Human case of Rickettsia felis infection, Taiwan
Journal
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Journal Volume
14
Journal Issue
12
Pages
1970-1972
Date Issued
2008
Author(s)
Abstract
To the Editor: Rickettsia felis, the etiologic agent of flea-borne spotted fever, is carried by fleas worldwide (1). In the past decade, several human cases of R. felis infection have been reported (1–3). Clinical symptoms and biological data for R. felis infections are similar to those for murine typhus and other rickettsial diseases, which makes clinical diagnosis difficult (2). Patients with R. felis infections may have common clinical manifestations, such as fever, headache, myalgia, macular rash, and elevated levels of liver enzymes (4,5).
Reportable rickettsioses in Taiwan include scrub typhus, epidemic typhus, and murine typhus. Although there are no known human cases of infections caused by spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae in Taiwan, novel strains of SFG rickettsiae have been isolated as recently described (6,7). In addition, evidence for R. felis infections in cat and cat flea populations has been identified by using immunofluorescence assay (IFA), PCR, and organism isolation (K.-H.Tsai et al., unpub. data). We report an indigenous human case of R. felis infection in Taiwan.
Reportable rickettsioses in Taiwan include scrub typhus, epidemic typhus, and murine typhus. Although there are no known human cases of infections caused by spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae in Taiwan, novel strains of SFG rickettsiae have been isolated as recently described (6,7). In addition, evidence for R. felis infections in cat and cat flea populations has been identified by using immunofluorescence assay (IFA), PCR, and organism isolation (K.-H.Tsai et al., unpub. data). We report an indigenous human case of R. felis infection in Taiwan.
Type
letter