Open AccessSerologic Diagnosis of Acute Rickettsiosis in Children in Southern Israel
Author(s) -
Shiran Sharabi,
Orli Sagi,
Shalom BenShimol
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the pediatric infectious disease journal/the pediatric infectious disease journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1532-0987
pISSN - 0891-3668
DOI - 10.1097/inf.0000000000003303
Subject(s) - rickettsiosis , serology , rash , medicine , rickettsia , murine typhus , spotted fever , virology , immunology , dermatology , typhus , antibody , virus
We assessed serology results of clinically suspected rickettsiosis episodes in the hospital setting. Overall, 322 of 963 (33%) cases were serology positive. Among those, rash rates were low (30%), murine typhus (MT) predominated over spotted fever and IgM positivity rate was higher in MT. These findings suggest that during acute rickettsiosis, serology may reliably identify MT infection but may underdiagnose spotted fever.