Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis, Brazil | CDC EID

EID Journal Home > Volume 16, Number 3–March 2010

Volume 16, Number 3–March 2010
Dispatch
Novel Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis, Brazil
Mariana G. Spolidorio, Marcelo B. Labruna, Elenice Mantovani, Paulo E. Brandão, Leonardo J. Richtzenhain, and Natalino H. Yoshinari
Author affiliations: University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract
We report a clinical case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis acquired in São Paulo, Brazil. Definitive diagnosis was supported by seroconversion between acute-phase and convalescent-phase serum samples. Molecular analysis of skin samples indicated the agent was a novel spotted fever group strain closely related to Rickettsia africae, R. parkeri, and R. sibirica.

Rickettsia rickettsii is the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). During the past 2 decades, a clear reemergence of RMSF has been seen in southeastern Brazil, where ≈350 laboratory-confirmed cases (case fatality rate ≈30%) have been reported (1). Most of these cases were confirmed solely by serologic-based techniques; specific identification of the Rickettsia species was not achieved. However, because these cases were clinically and epidemiologically compatible with RMSF, the agent was presumed to be R. rickettsii (1).

The occurrence of R. parkeri in Brazil has been restricted to ticks; human clinical infection has been reported in the United States, and possibly in Uruguay (1). Additionally, a few clinical cases caused by R. felis or R. typhi have been reported in southeastern Brazil during the 21st century (2,3). We report a clinical case of SFG rickettsiosis in a patient from southeastern Brazil. Molecular analysis of clinical samples showed that the patient was infected by a novel SFG strain.

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Suggested Citation for this Article
Spolidorio MG, Labruna MB, Mantovani E, Brandão PE, Richtzenhain LJ, Yoshinari NH. Novel spotted fever group rickettsiosis, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2010 March [date cited]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/16/3/521.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1603.091338