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Serological Survey of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia in Wild Rats in Thailand in the 1970s
Author(s) -
Okabayashi Tamaki,
Tsutiya Kimiyuki,
Muramatsu Yasukazu,
Ueno Hiroshi,
Morita Chiharu
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1996.tb01157.x
Subject(s) - rickettsiosis , spotted fever , rickettsia , biology , serology , boutonneuse fever , antibody , antibody titer , virology , titer , veterinary medicine , immunology , virus , medicine
In Thailand, the first human cases of spotted fever group rickettsiosis were reported in 1994, but no serosurveys on wild rats have yet been conducted. We investigated the seroepidemiology in wild rats collected in the 1970s from two regions in Thailand, and found a 62.2% positive rate of antibodies for spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. Of the antibody‐positive rats, 82.2% had higher titers of antibodies against TT‐118 than those against Rickettsia japonica , which suggests that Thailand is infested mainly with the TT‐118 strain or its antigenically related organisms. The prevalence of antibodies in Bandicota indica was significantly higher than that in other species, which suggests that B. indica is important as a reservoir of SFGR in Thailand.