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      Comparative value of blood and skin samples for diagnosis of spotted fever group rickettsial infection in model animals

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          Abstract

          The definitive diagnosis of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses in humans is challenging due to the retrospective nature and cross reactivity of the serological methods and the absence of reliable and consistent samples for molecular diagnostics. Existing data indicate the transient character of bacteremia in experimentally infected animals. The ability of arthropod vectors to acquire rickettsial infection from the laboratory animals in the absence of systemic infection and known tropism of rickettsial agents to endothelial cells of peripheral blood vessels underline the importance of local infection and consequently the diagnostic potential of skin samples. In order to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of rickettsial DNA detection in blood and skin samples, we compared results of PCR testing in parallel samples collected from model laboratory animals infected with Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia slovaca-like agent at different time points after infection. Skin samples were collected from ears – away from the site of tick placement and without eschars. Overall, testing of skin samples resulted in a higher proportion of positive results than testing of blood samples. Presented data from model animals demonstrates that testing of skin samples from sites of rickettsial proliferation can provide definitive molecular diagnosis of up to 60–70% of tick-borne SFG rickettsial infections during the acute stage of illness. Detection of pathogen DNA in cutaneous samples is a valuable alternative to blood-PCR at least in model animals.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          101522599
          37026
          Ticks Tick Borne Dis
          Ticks Tick Borne Dis
          Ticks and tick-borne diseases
          1877-959X
          1877-9603
          24 October 2017
          26 May 2016
          July 2016
          30 October 2017
          : 7
          : 5
          : 1029-1034
          Affiliations
          Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
          Author notes
          [* ]Corresponding author at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS G–13, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States. MLevin@ 123456cdc.gov (M.L. Levin)
          Article
          PMC5661872 PMC5661872 5661872 hhspa914393
          10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.05.011
          5661872
          27282078
          4ad61301-cc3d-44cc-ba5a-257e6d545bb0
          History
          Categories
          Article

          Rocky Mountain spotted fever,Spotted fever rickettsiosis,Diagnosis,Skin biopsies,Guinea pig

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