Human infection with Rickettsia felis, Kenya

Allen L. Richards; Ju Jiang; Sylvia Omulo; Ryan Dare; Khalif Abdirahman; Abdile Ali; Shanaaz K. Sharif; Daniel R. Feikin; Robert F. Breiman; M. Kariuki Njenga

doi:10.3201/eid1607.091885

Human infection with Rickettsia felis, Kenya

Allen L. Richards, Ju Jiang, Sylvia Omulo, Ryan Dare, Khalif Abdirahman, Abdile Ali, Shanaaz K. Sharif, Daniel R. Feikin, Robert F. Breiman, M. Kariuki Njenga

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

To determine the cause of acute febrile illnesses other than malaria in the North Eastern Province, Kenya, we investigated rickettsial infection among patients from Garissa Provincial Hospital for 23 months during 2006-2008. Nucleic acid preparations of serum from 6 (3.7%) of 163 patients were positive for rickettsial DNA as determined by a genus-specific quantitative real-time PCR and were subsequently confirmed by molecular sequencing to be positive for Rickettsia felis. The 6 febrile patients' symptoms included headache; nausea; and muscle, back, and joint pain. None of the patients had a skin rash.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1081-1086
Number of pages	6
Journal	Emerging infectious diseases
Volume	16
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1607.091885
State	Published - Jul 2010
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Epidemiology
Microbiology (medical)
Infectious Diseases

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abstract = "To determine the cause of acute febrile illnesses other than malaria in the North Eastern Province, Kenya, we investigated rickettsial infection among patients from Garissa Provincial Hospital for 23 months during 2006-2008. Nucleic acid preparations of serum from 6 (3.7%) of 163 patients were positive for rickettsial DNA as determined by a genus-specific quantitative real-time PCR and were subsequently confirmed by molecular sequencing to be positive for Rickettsia felis. The 6 febrile patients' symptoms included headache; nausea; and muscle, back, and joint pain. None of the patients had a skin rash.",

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AU - Richards, Allen L.

AU - Jiang, Ju

AU - Omulo, Sylvia

AU - Dare, Ryan

AU - Abdirahman, Khalif

AU - Ali, Abdile

AU - Sharif, Shanaaz K.

AU - Feikin, Daniel R.

AU - Breiman, Robert F.

AU - Njenga, M. Kariuki

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AB - To determine the cause of acute febrile illnesses other than malaria in the North Eastern Province, Kenya, we investigated rickettsial infection among patients from Garissa Provincial Hospital for 23 months during 2006-2008. Nucleic acid preparations of serum from 6 (3.7%) of 163 patients were positive for rickettsial DNA as determined by a genus-specific quantitative real-time PCR and were subsequently confirmed by molecular sequencing to be positive for Rickettsia felis. The 6 febrile patients' symptoms included headache; nausea; and muscle, back, and joint pain. None of the patients had a skin rash.

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Human infection with Rickettsia felis, Kenya

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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