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Volume 19, Number 10—October 2013
Dispatch

Rickettsia slovaca Infection in Humans, Portugal

Rita de SousaComments to Author , Branca Isabel Pereira, Claúdia Nazareth, Susana Cabral, Conceição Ventura, Pedro Crespo, Nuno Marques, and Saraiva da Cunha
Author affiliations: National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Águas de Moura, Portugal (R. de Sousa); University Hospitals of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (B.I. Pereira, C. Nazareth, S. Cabral, C. Ventura, P. Crespo, N. Marques, S. da Cunha)

Main Article

Table

Epidemiologic, clinical and microbiologic characteristics of 3 patients infected with Rickettsia slovaca, Portugal

Characteristic Patient 1 Patient 2 Patient 3
Epidemiologic
Age, y/sex 50/F 53/F 30/F
Date of illness onset 2010 Oct 2012 Apr 2012 May
Type of residence Rural Rural Rural
At-risk activity Field worker Field worker, contact with domestic animals Contact with dogs
Reported tick bite
 Yes
 Yes
 NA
Clinical characteristics
Incubation time, d*† 4 7 NA
Fever Yes, 37.8°C No No
Eschar on scalp Yes Yes Yes
Rash No Yes, maculopapular No
Painful cervical/occipital lymphadenopathy Yes No Yes
Facial edema Yes Yes No
Headache Yes No No
Localized alopecia
 No
 Yes
 No
Laboratory diagnostics
Antibodies against R. slovaca by IFA‡
Sample 1, titer IgM/IgG Negative 32/64 32/64
Sample 2, titer IgM/IgG 32/128 1,024/1,024 ND
Culture from eschar Positive ND Contaminated
PCR from eschar Positive Positive Positive

*All patients were treated with doxycycline. NA, not available; ND, not done; IFA, immunofluorescence assay.
†From tick bite to symptom onset.
‡Positive cutoff values, IgM = 32; IgG = 128.

Main Article

Page created: August 14, 2013
Page updated: September 16, 2013
Page reviewed: September 16, 2013
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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