Volume 17, Number 1—January 2011
Dispatch
Identification of Rickettsial Infections by Using Cutaneous Swab Specimens and PCR
Table
Molecular results for 9 patients with rickettsioses for identification of Rickettsia spp., Marseille, France*
| Patient no. | Swab no. | Skin swab specimens, Ct | Biopsy specimens, Ct | Final diagnosis | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actin | Conserved sequence† | Specific sequence‡ | Actin | Conserved sequence† | Specific sequence‡ | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 22.27 | 33.91 | 36.63 | 19.39 | 29.03 | 32.52 | R. conorii | |
| 2 | 1 | 29.73 | Neg | Neg | 21.21 | 29.32 | 33.29 | R. conorii | |
| 3 | 1 | 22.32 | 30.99 | Neg | 18.89 | 28.72 | Neg | R. sibirica mongolitimonae | |
| 4 | 1 | 24.48 | 35.21 | 34.15 | 22.92 | 31.92 | 26.66 | R. africae | |
| 5 | 1 | 31.13 | 34.67 | Neg | 20.68 | 33.66 | 31.9 | R. africae | |
| 6§ | 1 | 35.49 | 35.29 | Neg | – | – | – | R. slovaca | |
| 7§ | 1 | 24.78 | 30.63 | ND | – | – | – | R. sibirica mongolitimonae | |
| 8§ | 1 | 24.19 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | R. conorii | |
| 1 | 23.36 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 21.94 | 37.97 | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 35.50 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 9§¶ | 1 | 32.50 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | R. australis | |
| 1 | 32.05 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 30.95 | Pos | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 24.99 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 29.21 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 31.78 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 35.83 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 24.98 | Pos | Pos | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 35.5 | Neg | Pos | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 36.96 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1 | 32.21 | Neg | Neg | – | – | – | –
*Ct, cycle threshold; neg, negative; –, not applicable; ND, not done; pos, positive. | ||
*Ct, cycle threshold; neg, negative; –, not applicable; ND, not done; pos, positive.
†Rickettsial DNA was identified by using a fragment of the citrate synthase A gene that is conserved among all spotted fever group rickettsiae.
‡Specific quantitative PCR was performed on the basis of epidemiologic data and tick bite history of each patient.
§No cutaneous biopsy samples were available.
¶Results for patient 9 correspond to results of re-amplification of products of the first PCRs.