Murine typhus in Tunisia: a neglected cause of fever as a single symptom.
Med Mal Infect
; 43(6): 226-9, 2013 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23619288
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
We had for aim to describe the epidemiologic and clinic characteristics of murine typhus in a series of 43 serologically confirmed cases, in our region. PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:
Serologic screening for IgG and IgM against Rickettsia typhi was performed in 1024 patients during three years (2006-2008). The characteristics of patients with a positive serology were examined retrospectively. One hundred and seventy sera obtained from blood donors were tested to detect IgG against R. typhi to determine the seroprevalence of the infection.RESULTS:
There was evidence of recent R. typhi infection in 43 patients (4.2%) during the study period, and 3.7% of blood donors had IgG against R. typhi. The mean age of patients was 43.1 years and the sex-ratio was 1.04. Among the patients, 58.1% were from rural areas. No patient reported any exposure to rats or rat-fleas. There were more cases during the summer and fall. The most frequent complaint was fever as a single symptom (67.5%). A cutaneous rash was reported in 44.1% and headache in 60.5% of patients. Among the patients, 44.1% presented with thrombopenia and 47.2% with elevated liver enzymes.CONCLUSION:
Murine typhus seems to be frequent in Tunisia. This infection could be a threat for travellers. Serology should be performed systematically in patients with fever as a single symptom since its clinical presentation is non-specific.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Tifo Endêmico Transmitido por Pulgas
/
Febre
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
/
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Mal Infect
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Tunísia