ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2021
Neglected human Rickettsia felis infection in Taiwan: A retrospective seroepidemiological survey of patients with suspected rickettsioses.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Wild mammals as hosts ofInternational journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2025Review
- A One Health Perspective on the Resurgence of Flea-Borne Typhus in Texas in the 21st Century: Part 1: The Bacteria, the Cat Flea, Urbanization, and Climate Change.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Epidemiology of Murine Typhus in Taiwan from 2013 to 2020.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Article
- Diagnosis of a RareCase reports in infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- Delayed correlation between the incidence rate of indigenous murine typhus in humans and the seropositive rate of Rickettsia typhi infection in small mammals in Taiwan from 2007-2019.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- HumanFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Article
- Seroepidemiological Study of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae and Identification of a Putative New Species,Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundCurrent knowledge on Rickettsia felis infection in humans is based on sporadic case reports. Here we conducted a retrospective seroepidemiological survey of R. felis infection among febrile patients visiting a medical center in Taipei. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsA total of 122 patients with suspected rickettsioses presenting with fever of unknown origin (FUO) but tested negative for scrub typhus, murine typhus, or Q fever were retrospectively identified during 2009 to 2010. The archived serum samples were examined for the presence of antibodies against R. felis, Rickettsia japonica, and Rickettsia typhi using microimmunofluorescence (MIF) assay. Serological evidence of Rickettsia exposure was found in 23 (19%, 23/122) patients. Eight patients had antibodies reactive to R. felis, including four with current infection (a ≥4-fold increase in IgG titer between acute and convalescent sera). The clinical presentations of these four patients included fever, skin rash, lymphadenopathy, as well as more severe conditions such as pancytopenia, hepatomegaly, elevated liver enzymes/bilirubin, and life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome. One of the patients died after doxycycline was stopped after being tested negative for scrub typhus, Q fever, and murine typhus.
conclusionsRickettsia felis is a neglected flea-borne pathogen in Taiwan, and its infection can be life-threatening. Further prospective studies of the prevalence of R. felis among patients with FUO and compatible clinical manifestations are warranted.
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