RESUMEN
Since vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) became widespread, other strains of H. influenzae have become more common than Hib as causes of disease in vaccinated children. A four-month-old, appropriately vaccinated infant presented with meningitis and septicaemia caused by H. influenzae biotype III. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of meningitis caused by this biotype, which is not detectable by Hib antigen tests.
Asunto(s)
Bacteriemia/microbiología , Haemophilus influenzae/clasificación , Meningitis por Haemophilus/microbiología , Bacteriemia/diagnóstico , Técnicas de Tipificación Bacteriana , Femenino , Vacunas contra Haemophilus/farmacología , Haemophilus influenzae/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Lactante , Meningitis por Haemophilus/diagnósticoRESUMEN
To determine if antibodies to rickettsiae (scrub typhus, spotted fever, and typhus group rickettsiae) occur among persons living in the Kimberley (northern tropical) region of Western Australia, 920 sera collected in a non-random manner in 1996 from patients in Kununurra, Broome, Fitzroy Crossing, Wyndham, Derby, and Halls Creek were tested by micro-immunofluorescence for antibodies to a panel of rickettsial antigens. Of 920 sera examined, 52 (5.6%) were positive for antibodies to one or more of the three groups of rickettsial microorganisms. The largest group of sera (24; 2.6%) were positive for scrub typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi). Eleven other sera (1.2%) were positive for scrub typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiae and four (0.4%) were positive for scrub typhus, spotted fever group, and typhus group rickettsiae. In addition 13 sera (1.4%) were positive only for spotted fever group rickettsiae. In this study, only titers > or = 1:256 were considered significant. Thus, there is serologic evidence for scrub typhus and spotted fever group rickettsial infections in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Because of the method of serum collection, it is not possible to determine the prevalence of seropositivity, but the data support the need for a proper epidemiologic study of rickettsial diseases in this region of Australia.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/sangre , Infecciones por Rickettsia/epidemiología , Rickettsia/inmunología , Antígenos Bacterianos/inmunología , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente , Humanos , Rickettsia/clasificación , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Australia Occidental/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
In a recent case of scrub typhus in Australia, Orientia tsutsugamushi isolated from the patient's blood was tested by sequence analysis of the 16S rDNA gene. The sequence showed a strain of O. tsutsugamushi that was quite different from the classic Karp, Kato, and Gilliam strains. The new strain has been designated Litchfield.