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Volume 14, Number 12—December 2008
Letter

Antibodies against Rickettsia spp. in Hunters, Germany

Andreas JansenComments to Author , Bernard La Scola, Didier Raoult, Michael Lierz, Ole Wichmann, Klaus Stark, and Thomas Schneider

Author affiliations: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany (A. Jansen, O. Wichmann, K. Stark); Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France (B. La Scola, D. Raoult); Free University of Berlin, Berlin (M. Lierz); Charité, Berlin (T. Schneider)

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Table

Positive immunofluorescence assay results for antigens to 9 Rickettsia spp. in 26 hunters, Germany, 2006*

Hunter no. IgG/IgM
R.
conorii R.
slovaca R.
helvetica R.
massiliae R.
mongolitimonae R.
israelensis R.
aeschlimannii R.
felis R.
typhi
106 0/64
109 64/128 64/128 64/128 64/128 64/128 32/32 64/0 0/128
111 0/32 0/64 0/32
113 0/128 0/64
115 0/32 0/128 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/64 0/32 0/64
117 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32
124 0/32 0/64 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/64
127 0/128 0/64
130 0/64 0/64 0/128 0/32 0/32 0/64 0/64
131 256/0 0/64
142 0/64 0/64 0/64 0/64 0/64
148 0/64 0/64 0/64 0/32
151 0/64 0/64 0/64 0/64 0/64
160 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32
161 0/64 0/64 0/32 0/32
182 128/0
185 64/64
224 64/64 64/64 64/64 64/64 64/64 64/64 64/64 64/64 64/64
230 0/32 0/32 0/32
233 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 64/16
236 64/16
237 64/32
277 64/32 64/32
281 64/32
285 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32
297 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32 0/32

*All specimens were tested for all antigens. Boldface indicates nonspecific titers. Cutoff titers for seropositivity (immunoglobulin [Ig] G or IgM) were 128/64 for R. conorii and 64/32 for other antigens (8). A rickettsial antigen was considered to represent the agent of infection when cross-reactions were absent or when titers of IgG or IgM antibody against this antigen were >2 serial dilutions higher than titers of IgG or IgM antibody against other rickettsial antigens.

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