An autochthonous confirmed case of Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis in Uruguay

Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018 Mar;9(3):718-719. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.02.015. Epub 2018 Feb 21.

Abstract

Rickettsia parkeri, a member of the spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae, was first confirmed as an etiological agent of human rickettsiosis in 2004. Nearly all cases are characterized by an inoculation eschar, and no fatalities have been reported. In Uruguay, probable human cases of R. parkeri infection (confused initially with R. conorii infection) have been described since 1990 using the clinical name "cutaneous-ganglionar" rickettsiosis. This is the only tick-borne rickettsiosis reported in the country. A single case of R. parkeri rickettsiosis has been confirmed by molecular and serological testing in a Spanish traveler returning from Uruguay. We report the first autochthonous human R. parkeri infection, confirmed by molecular testing in Uruguay.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Eschar-associated rickettsiosis; Rickettsia parkeri; Tick-borne diseases; Uruguay.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Doxycycline / administration & dosage
  • Doxycycline / therapeutic use
  • Genes, Bacterial / genetics
  • Humans
  • Ixodidae / microbiology*
  • Male
  • Rickettsia / genetics
  • Rickettsia / isolation & purification*
  • Rickettsia Infections / diagnosis*
  • Rickettsia Infections / drug therapy
  • Rickettsia Infections / epidemiology
  • Rickettsia Infections / microbiology
  • Serologic Tests
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / epidemiology
  • Tick-Borne Diseases / microbiology
  • Uruguay / epidemiology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Doxycycline