TY - JOUR AU - Mourembou, Gaƫl AU - Lekana-Douki, Jean Bernard AU - Mediannikov, Oleg AU - Nzondo, Sydney Maghendji AU - Kouna, Lady Charlene AU - Essone, Jean Claude Biteghe Bi AU - Fenollar, Florence AU - Raoult, Didier T1 - Possible Role of Rickettsia felis in Acute Febrile Illness among Children in Gabon T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2015 VL - 21 IS - 10 SP - 1808 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Rickettsia felis has been reported to be a cause of fever in sub-Saharan Africa, but this association has been poorly evaluated in Gabon. We assessed the prevalence of this bacterium among children <15 years of age in 4 areas of Gabon; the locations were in urban, semiurban, and rural areas. DNA samples from 410 febrile children and 60 afebrile children were analyzed by quantitative PCR. Overall, the prevalence of R. felis among febrile and afebrile children was 10.2% (42/410 children) and 3.3% (2/60 children), respectively. Prevalence differed among febrile children living in areas that are urban (Franceville, 1.3% [1/77]), semiurban (Koulamoutou, 2.1% [3/141]), and rural (Lastourville, 11.2% [15/134]; Fougamou, 39.7% [23/58]). Furthermore, in a rural area (Fougamou), R. felis was significantly more prevalent in febrile (39.7% [23/58]) than afebrile children (5.0% [1/20]). Additional studies are needed to better understand the pathogenic role of R. felis in this part of the world. KW - Rickettsia felis KW - R. felis KW - bacteria KW - fever KW - febrile KW - unexplained fever KW - urban KW - rural KW - Gabon KW - sub-Saharan Africa KW - children KW - prevalence KW - acute febrile illness KW - rainy season KW - pathogenic bacteria KW - fastidious bacteria KW - Ticks DO - 10.3201/eid2110.141825 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/21/10/14-1825_article ER - End of Reference