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- Title
Seroprevalence of antibodies to Rickettsia typhi in the Waikato region of New Zealand.
- Authors
LIM, M. Y.; WEINSTEIN, P.; BELL, A.; HAMBLING, T.; TOMPKINS, D. M.; SLANEY, D.
- Abstract
The first reported New Zealand-acquired case of murine typhus occurred near Auckland in 1989. Since then, 72 locally acquired cases have been recorded from northern New Zealand. By 2008, on the basis of the timing and distribution of cases, it appeared that murine typhus was escalating and spreading southwards. To explore the presence of Rickettsia typhi in the Waikato region, we conducted a seroprevalence study, using indirect immunofluorescence, Western blot, and cross-adsorption assays of blood donor samples. Of 950 human sera from Waikato, 12 (1·3%) had R. typhi antibodies. The seroprevalence for R. typhi was slightly higher in northern Waikato (1·4%) compared to the south (1·2%; no significant difference, χ 2 P = 0·768 at P < 0·05). Our results extend the reported southern range of R. typhi by 140 km and indicate it is endemic in Waikato. Evidence of past Rickettsia felis infections was also detected in six sera. Globally, R. felis is an emerging disease of concern and this pathogen should also be considered when locally acquired rickettsiosis is suspected. If public health interventions are to be implemented to reduce the risk of rickettsioses as a significant public health problem, improvements in rickettsial diagnostics and surveillance will be necessary.
- Subjects
NEW Zealand; EMERGING infectious diseases; ENDEMIC flea-borne typhus; RICKETTSIA felis; SEROPREVALENCE; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; EPIDEMIOLOGICAL research; FLUORESCENT antibody technique; RICKETTSIA; RICKETTSIAL diseases; WESTERN immunoblotting; BACTERIAL antibodies
- Publication
Epidemiology & Infection, 2016, Vol 144, Issue 11, p2283
- ISSN
0950-2688
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1017/S0950268816000698