C-reactive protein in boutonneuse fever

Familial cases of boutonneuse fever

Pairs of cases of Boutonneuse Fever (BF) occurred in three families. The illness appeared almost simultaneously in both members of each family, but was generally more serious in one as judged by clinical and laboratory parameters. The possibility of a "bed rickettsiosis", that is reactivation of rickettsiae by the blood meal obtained from the first individual by the same tick which fed upon the second individual, could be excluded in two of the three pairs of cases. In only one of the case pairs were the individuals sharing the same bed. The differences in severity of symptoms may be related to the different immunological pattern observed in these patients. Previous rickettsial infection ma…

New Insight into Immunity and Immunopathology of Rickettsial Diseases

Human rickettsial diseases comprise a variety of clinical entities caused by microorganisms belonging to the generaRickettsia,Orientia,Ehrlichia, andAnaplasma. These microorganisms are characterized by a strictly intracellular location which has, for long, impaired their detailed study. In this paper, the critical steps taken by these microorganisms to play their pathogenic roles are discussed in detail on the basis of recent advances in our understanding of molecularRickettsia-host interactions, preferential target cells, virulence mechanisms, three-dimensional structures of bacteria effector proteins, upstream signalling pathways and signal transduction systems, and modulation of gene exp…

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BOUTONNEUSE FEVER IN WESTERN SICILY

The distribution and prevalence of spotted fever group rickettsial infection in the ixodid dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus were found to occur at a rate of 19.7% with variation related to geographic and sociooccupational factors. A higher rate of infection was demonstrated in ticks removed from dogs associated with documented cases of boutonneuse fever. The results fit into available clinical and seroepidemiologic data on Rickettsia conorii infection in western Sicily.

Isolation on "VERO" cells of a spotted fever group rickettsia "Mortilli strain" from Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

The isolation of a Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsia « Mortilli strain » from brown dog ticks Rhipicephalu.s sanguineus removed from dogs associated with a confirmed case of Boutonneuse Fever (BF) in a site of a Western Sicily is reported. The need is stressed for isolation and adaption on cell cultures of SFG rickettsial strains for analysis of antigenic structure employing modern methodology.

Demonstration of spotted fever group rickettsiae in the tache noire of a healthy person in Sicily.

A human case of rickettsial infection occurred in Sicily following tick bite. The patient did not have fever, the typical nodular rash, or other symptoms of illness other than development of a tache noire containing spotted fever group rickettsiae, which were demonstrated by immunofluorescence. A high titer of antibodies of the IgG class suggests that the patient may have had previous exposure to Rickettsia conorii or a related spotted fever group rickettsia. An anamnestic response may be hypothesized to have conferred partial immunity, with resulting containment of rickettsiae at the site of inoculation.