Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link

Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.

Volume 31, Number 9—September 2025

CME ACTIVITY - Research

Rickettsioses as Underrecognized Cause of Hospitalization for Febrile Illness, Uganda

Paul W. BlairComments to Author , Sultanah Alharthi, Andrés F. Londoño, Abdullah Wailagala, Yukari C. Manabe, J. Stephen Dumler, and the Acute Febrile Illness and Sepsis in Uganda Study Teams1
Author affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (P.W. Blair, S. Alharthi); Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (A.F. Londoño, J.S. Dumler); Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda (A. Wailagala); Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (Y.C. Manabe)

Main Article

Table 2

Clinical characteristics among those with rickettsial, malarial, and nonmalarial illness in study of rickettsioses as an underrecognized cause of hospitalization for febrile illness, Uganda*

Characteristic Rickettsial, n = 33 Malarial, n = 59 p value, rickettsial vs. malarial† Nonmalarial, n = 237 p value, rickettsial vs. nonmalarial†
Age, y, median (IQR)
 37.0 (28.0–47.0)
 35.0 (24.0–51.0)
 0.794
 40.0 (28.0–55.0)
 0.393
Sex
F 21/33 (64) 39/59 (66) 0.812 143/237 (60) 0.716
M
 12 (36)
 20 (34)
 0.812
 94 (40)
 0.716
HIV-positive
10/33 (30)
 17/59 (29)
 0.880
 91/237 (38)
 0.368
Physiologic parameters, median (IQR)
Heart rate, beats/min 102.0 (91.0–110.0) 102.0 (92.0–113.0) 0.782 101.0 (89.0–114.0) 0.696
Temperature °C 38.0 (37.1–38.8) 38.0 (37.0–38.8) 0.964 37.5 (36.9–38.1) 0.083
Breaths/min 24.0 (20.0–29.0) 24.0 (20.0–32.0) 0.954 28.0 (24.0–32.0) 0.057
Oxygen saturation
 95.0 (93.0–98.0)
 97.0 (94.0–98.0)
 0.134
 95.0 (92.0–97.0)
 0.535
qSOFA ≥2, no. (%)‡
 7/33 (21)
 13/59 (22)
 0.927
 45/236 (19)
 0.770
Tetracycline treatment 0/33 (0) 0/59 (0) >0.999 19/237 (8.0) 0.142
Rickettsial treatment 12/33 (36) 14/59 (24) 0.197 118/237 (50) 0.148

*Values are no. positive/no. tested (%) except as indicated. IQR, interquartile range; qSOFA, quick sepsis organ failure assessment. †Fisher exact test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, or Pearson χ2 test. ‡Missing for 1 of 328 participants.

Main Article

1Members are listed at the end of this article.

Page created: July 09, 2025
Page updated: August 22, 2025
Page reviewed: August 22, 2025
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.
file_external