2001: HGE should be considered in the differential diagnosis of flu-like syndromes
1: Epidemiol Infect 2001 Oct;127(2):353-8 Related Articles, Books
Presence of granulocytic ehrlichia in ticks and serological evidence of human
infection in La Rioja, Spain.
Oteo JA, Gil H, Barral M, Perez A, Jimenez S, Blanco JR, Martinez de Artola V,
Garcia-Perez A, Juste RA.
Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital de La Rioja, Logrono, Spain.
In order to estimate the risks of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) in an
endemic area for Lyme disease in the North of Spain (La Rioja), we collected
and investigated by PCR specific to the E. phagocytophila group DNA, a total of
6870 Ixodes ricinus ticks. We also used an indirect immunofluorescence (IFI)
test to study the presence of antibodies to the HGE agent in 147 human serum
samples including patients with Lyme disease (LD), forestry workers, and
persons with history of previous tick bite. Fifty serum samples from healthy
people resident in urban areas and with no history of tick-bite disorder and
without tick exposure were used as controls. Four of 76 {*filter*}s and 49 of 203
nymphs pools carried E. phagocytophila DNA. This result, and the finding of
1.4% of sera reacting in the IFI test confirms that this tick-borne agent is
present in La Rioja, and that humans show evidence of contact with it. HGE
should be considered in the differential diagnosis of flu-like syndromes in the
study area in the north of Spain.
PMID: 11693514 [PubMed - in process]
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