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Volume 21, Number 4—April 2015
Dispatch

High Seroprevalence of Antibodies against Spotted Fever and Scrub Typhus Bacteria in Patients with Febrile Illness, Kenya

Jacqueline W. Thiga, Beth K. Mutai, Wurapa K. Eyako, Zipporah Ng’ang’a, Ju Jiang, Allen L. Richards, and John N. WaitumbiComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Walter Reed Project/Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya (J.W. Thiga, B.K. Mutai, W.K. Eyako, J.N. Waitumbi); Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Itromid, Nairobi, Kenya (J.W. Thiga, Z. Ng’ang’a); Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA (J. Jiang, A.L. Richards)

Main Article

Table

Demographic characteristics of febrile patients tested for seropositivity for SFG and STG rickettsioses, Kenya*

Characteristic   SFG, no. positive/no. tested (%)   OR (95% CI)   STG, no. positive/no. tested (%)   OR (95% CI)
Sex
  F   96/1,094 (9)   1.0   43/694 (6)   1.0
  M   116/1,131 (10)   1.2 (0.9–1.6)   24/707 (3)   0.5 (0.3–0.9†*
Age, y
  <5   41/1,107 (4)   1.0   17/687 (3)   1.0
  5–12   62/622 (10)   2.9 (1.9–4.4)†   29/423 (6)   2.9 (1.5–5.7)
  13–26   63/290 (22)   7.2 (4.7–11.2)†   10/ 166 (6)   2.5 (1.0–6.0)†
  >26   46/206 (22)   7.5 (4.6–12.1)†   11/125 (9)   3.8 (1.6–8.8)†
Animal contact
Goats
  No contact   205/2,188 (9)   1.0   60/1,372 (4)   1.0
  Contact   7/37 (19)   2.3 (0.8– 5.3)   7/29 (24)   7.0 (2.4–17.7)†
Cows
  No contact   207/2,187 (10)   1.0   65/1,377 (5)   1.0
  Contact   5/38 (13)   1.4 (0.4−3.8)   2/24 (8)   1.8 (0.2–7.7)
Donkeys
  No contact   211/2,223 (10)   1.0   67/1,399 (5)   1.0
  Contact   1/2 (50)   9.5 (0.1–748.8)   0/2 (0)   0 (0–38.7)
Cats
  No contact   203/2,106 (10)   1.0   66/1,315 (5)   1.0
  Contact   9/119 (8)   0.8 (0.3–1.5)   1/86 (1)   0.2 (0.05–1.3)
Sheep
  No contact   212/2,218 (10)   1.0   67/1,387 (5)   1.0
  Contact   0/7 (0)   0 (0–5.2)   0/14 (0)   0.0 (0–5.5)
Dogs
  No contact   210/2,146 (10)   1.0   67/1,398 (5)   1.0
  Contact   2/79 (3)   0.2 (0.03–0.9)   0/3 (0)   0.0 (0–11)
Camels
  No contact   196/2,173 (9)   1.0   67/1,365 (5)   1.0
  Contact   16/52 (31)   4.5 (2.3–8.5)†   0/36 (0)   0.0 (0.0–2.1)

*SFG, spotted fever group; STG, scrub typhus group; OR, odds ratio.
†Seroprevalence for both spotted fever and scrub typhus increased with age; there were significant differences (p<0.05) between those <5 years of age and those in older age groups for SFG and those >12 years of age for STG. Exposure to SFG and STG were more likely in patients who had contact with dogs and camels for SFG and goats for STG (p<0.05). OR, odds ratio.

Main Article

Page created: March 17, 2015
Page updated: March 17, 2015
Page reviewed: March 17, 2015
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