Jpn. J. Infect. Dis., 56, 26-28, 2003

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Short Communication

Detection of Antibodies against Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia (SFGR), Typhus Group Rickettsia (TGR), and Coxiella burnetii in Human Febrile Patients in the Philippines

Gerry Amor Camer, Marissa Alejandria1, Miguel Amor2, Hiroshi Satoh3, Yasukazu Muramatsu3, Hiroshi Ueno3 and Chiharu Morita3*

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Eastern Philippines, Catarman, Northern Samar, 1Infectious Disease Section, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Manila, 2Barangay San Jose, Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, and 3School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu 069-8501, Hokkaido, Japan

(Received August 8, 2002. Accepted February 7, 2003)

SUMMARY: A total of 157 sera from febrile patients in the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Luzon, and the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital, the Philippines, were used. Serum antibodies against spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) and typhus group Rickettsia (TGR) were detected by indirect immunofluorescence test. Antibody positive rates were 1.3% for SFGR (Rickettsia japonica) and 2.5% for TGR (R. typhus), respectively. Rickettsial antibodies in humans in the Philippines were found for the first time. These results underscore the need for further epidemiological study of clinical rickettsioses in the Philippines.


*Corresponding author: Mailing address: School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu 069-8501, Hokkaido, Japan. Tel: +81-11-788-4790, Fax: +81-11-387-5890, E-mail: c-mrt@rakuno.ac.jp


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