This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by La Scola, B.
Right arrow Articles by Raoult, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by La Scola, B.
Right arrow Articles by Raoult, D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2000, p. 612-616, Vol. 7, No. 4
1071-412X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Serological Differentiation of Murine Typhus and Epidemic Typhus Using Cross-Adsorption and Western Blotting

Bernard La Scola,1 Lena Rydkina,1 Jean-Bosco Ndihokubwayo,1 Sirkka Vene,2 and Didier Raoult1,*

Unité des Rickettsies, CNRS UPRESA 6020, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Mediterranée, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France,1 and Department of Virology, Swedish Institute of Infectious Disease Control, S-105 21 Stockholm, Sweden2

Received 18 January 2000/Returned for modification 10 March 2000/Accepted 8 May 2000

Differentiation of murine typhus due to Rickettsia typhi and epidemic typhus due to Rickettsia prowazekii is critical epidemiologically but difficult serologically. Using serological, epidemiological, and clinical criteria, we selected sera from 264 patients with epidemic typhus and from 44 patients with murine typhus among the 29,188 tested sera in our bank. These sera cross-reacted extensively in indirect fluorescent antibody assays (IFAs) against R. typhi and R. prowazekii, as 42% of the sera from patients with epidemic typhus and 34% of the sera from patients with murine typhus exhibited immunoglobulin M (IgM) and/or IgG titers against the homologous antigen (R. prowazekii and R. typhi, respectively) that were more than one dilution higher than those against the heterologous antigen. Serum cross-adsorption studies and Western blotting were performed on sera from 12 selected patients, 5 with murine typhus, 5 with epidemic typhus, and 2 suffering from typhus of undetermined etiology. Differences in IFA titers against R. typhi and R. prowazekii allowed the identification of the etiological agent in 8 of 12 patients. Western blot studies enabled the identification of the etiological agent in six patients. When the results of IFA and Western blot studies were considered in combination, identification of the etiological agent was possible for 10 of 12 patients. Serum cross-adsorption studies enabled the differentiation of the etiological agent in all patients. Our study indicates that when used together, Western blotting and IFA are useful serological tools to differentiate between R. prowazekii and R. typhi exposures. While a cross-adsorption study is the definitive technique to differentiate between infections with these agents, it was necessary in only 2 of 12 cases (16.7%), and the high costs of such a study limit its use.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unité des Rickettsies, CNRS UPRESA 6020, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Blvd. Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France. Phone: 33.91.38.55.17. Fax: 33.91.83.03.90. E-mail: Didier.Raoult{at}medecine.univ-mrs.fr.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2000, p. 612-616, Vol. 7, No. 4
1071-412X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • BADIAGA, S., BROUQUI, P., RAOULT, D. (2005). AUTOCHTHONOUS EPIDEMIC TYPHUS ASSOCIATED WITH BARTONELLA QUINTANA BACTEREMIA IN A HOMELESS PERSON. Am J Trop Med Hyg 72: 638-639 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fournier, P.-E., Raoult, D. (2004). Suicide PCR on Skin Biopsy Specimens for Diagnosis of Rickettsioses. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3428-3434 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mokrani, K., Fournier, P. E., Dalichaouche, M., Tebbal, S., Aouati, A., Raoult, D. (2004). Reemerging Threat of Epidemic Typhus in Algeria. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3898-3900 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Jensenius, M., Fournier, P.-E., Vene, S., Ringertz, S. H., Myrvang, B., Raoult, D. (2004). Comparison of Immunofluorescence, Western Blotting, and Cross-Adsorption Assays for Diagnosis of African Tick Bite Fever. CVI 11: 786-788 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fournier, P.-E., Allombert, C., Supputamongkol, Y., Caruso, G., Brouqui, P., Raoult, D. (2004). Aneruptive Fever Associated with Antibodies to Rickettsia helvetica in Europe and Thailand. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 816-818 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fang, R., Houhamdi, L., Raoult, D. (2002). Detection of Rickettsia prowazekii in Body Lice and Their Feces by Using Monoclonal Antibodies. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40: 3358-3363 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Raoult, D., Fournier, P. E., Fenollar, F., Jensenius, M., Prioe, T., de Pina, J. J., Caruso, G., Jones, N., Laferl, H., Rosenblatt, J. E., Marrie, T. J. (2001). Rickettsia africae, a Tick-Borne Pathogen in Travelers to Sub-Saharan Africa. NEJM 344: 1504-1510 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»