Publications

human t lymphocyte recognition of cyanogen bromide fragments of the surface protein of rickettsia typhi.		1990	2116103
possible typhus-group infection in new york state: presentation of four suspect cases.	epidemiologic investigations were recently conducted on four cases which were reported in new york state in 1986 and 1987, three of which were within one family. these included hospital chart reviews, case or family interviews, animal trappings, and ectoparasite surveys. serologic tests and immunoblots were performed on blood samples obtained from these patients. all four patients had acute febrile illnesses; two required hospitalization and one died. microimmunofluorescence test results using r ...	1990	2116104
structural analyses of the 120-kda serotype protein antigens of typhus group rickettsiae. comparison with other s-layer proteins.		1990	2116106
characterization of the gene encoding the protective paracrystalline-surface-layer protein of rickettsia prowazekii: presence of a truncated identical homolog in rickettsia typhi.	the dna sequence of the gene encoding the protective surface protein antigen (spa) of rickettsia prowazekii has been determined. the open reading frame of 4836 nucleotides with promoter and ribosome-binding site is present on a 10.1-kilobase ecori fragment. the encoded carboxyl terminus of the 169-kda protein contains a potential transmembrane region and hydrophilic regions with many lysine and arginine residues potentially accessible to proteolytic cleavage. because the rickettsia-derived spa h ...	1990	2122457
murine typhus identified as a major cause of febrile illness in a camp for displaced khmers in thailand.	scrub and murine typhus have been identified as causes of illness among the 238,000 displaced khmer people residing in temporary settlements on the thai side of the thai-cambodian border. still, the true extent of the problem and the relative frequency of infection with scrub typhus as compared to murine typhus are unknown. we evaluated consecutive patients with unexplained pyrexia (documented fever, no exclusionary diagnosis, and constitutional symptoms) in 1 temporary settlement over 1 month. ...	1990	2122749
prevalence of antibodies to rickettsia conorii coxiella burnetii and rickettsia typhi in salamanca province (spain). serosurvey in the human population.	the salamanca province of spain is an endemic zone for mediterranean spotted fever. in this area, only one case of q fever has been reported and typhus group rickettsial diseases have never been diagnosed. to obtain a panoramic view of the presence of antibodies to the most ubiquitous rickettsial agents, 400 sera specimens from a statistically representative sample of the human population of salamanca city and its surrounding province were subjected to indirect microimmunofluorescent test for an ...	1990	2123799
western blot analysis of immune response to legionella bozemanii antigens.	the immune response to individual major antigens of legionella bozemanii was studied in 67 sera from 26 inpatients with febrile disease using immunoblotting techniques. all the patients had fever of unknown origin and showed strong serological reactions to l bozemanii that cross-reacted with rickettsia typhi, as determined by a standard indirect microimmunofluorescence assay. sera analysed by western blotting reacted with 12-14 molecular components of l bozemanii with apparent molecular weights ...	1991	1752985
serologic survey of spotted fever group rickettsiosis on hainan island of china.	a serosurvey for antibodies to rickettsia japonica was conducted on hainan island of china. serum specimens were collected from 1,030 outpatients at hospitals in different parts of the island regardless of their diagnosis. only two among 538 serum specimens collected in baoting and tongshi counties, located in the southern part of the island, were demonstrated to contain antibodies reactive with r. japonica at a high dilution. the specimens also reacted with r. rickettsii at the same titer as wi ...	1991	1808466
clinical and laboratory features of murine typhus in south texas, 1980 through 1987.	--the clinical and laboratory features of patients with murine typhus have not been extensively reviewed since 1946. we have updated these findings in patients from south texas who were examined by modern clinical and laboratory methods from 1980 through 1987.	1991	1880866
epidemiology of rickettsial diseases.	rickettsial diseases have a diversity of epidemiologic characteristics reflective of the variety of ecologic situations in which the obligate intracellular bacteria are transmitted to humans. for the spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae, rickettsia typhi, r. tsutsugamushi, coxiella burnetii, and the human ehrlichial agent, humans are a dead-end host who plays no role in the maintenance of the organism in nature. all rickettsioses exist as zoonoses. moreover, all rickettsiae are found in infecte ...	1991	1884775
flinders island spotted fever: a newly recognised endemic focus of tick typhus in bass strait. part 2. serological investigations.	twenty-six cases of a spotted-fever-like illness have been identified on flinders island, tasmania, over a 17 year period. these patients and 335 healthy persons from the island were investigated serologically using the weil-felix agglutination test (proteus sp. antigens ox2, ox19, oxk) and rickettsia-specific microimmunofluorescence. the antigens used in these latter tests comprised one member of the typhus group (rickettsia typhi) and three members of the spotted fever group (rickettsia ricket ...	1991	1898756
the role of rodents as reservoirs for some diseases in new reclaimed areas in north sinai.	in a trial to determine the role of sinai rodents as reservoirs to rickettsial diseases, the ifa technique was used to detect the presence of r. typhi and spotted fever group in blood of some commensal and wild rodent species collected in sinai during the last five years (1985-1989). out of 277 rattus spp. collected in el arish (47.3%) were positive to r. typhi and only (5.9%) of 35 mus musculus were positive to r. typhi. as for gerbillus spp. only (1.5%) of 206 animals were positive for r. typh ...	1991	1908502
[acute suppurative arthritis: an unusual manifestation of murine typhus (endemic)].	a 37-year-old patient had fever, diffuse maculopapular rash and acute suppurative arthritis of both knees, which was totally cured with doxycycline without sequelae. skin biopsy showed characteristic findings of rickettsiosis. in the serological investigation the weil-felix reaction was positive and antibodies against rickettsia typhi but not against rickettsia conorii were detected by indirect immunofluorescence. no similar case has found in the reviewed literature.	1991	1910133
antigenic relationships among the rickettsiae of the spotted fever and typhus groups.	using immunoblots to analyze antigenic relationships among the pathogenic spotted fever and typhus group rickettsiae, i found that the rickettsial lipopolysaccharide (lps) was a group-specific antigen. all the rickettsiae examined had 135-kda and 58-kda protein antigens. the spotted fever rickettsiae and rickettsia canada had, in addition, 190-kda protein antigens which were antigenic analogs of previously described protective antigens of r. conorii and r. rickettsii.	1991	1916232
effects of amino acid infusion on renal hemodynamics. role of endothelium-derived relaxing factor.	ingestion of protein or intravenous infusion of amino acids acutely elevates glomerular filtration rate (gfr) and renal plasma flow (rpf) by unknown mechanisms. endothelium-derived relaxing factor (edrf), now known to be nitric oxide derived from metabolism of l-arginine, participates in local regulation of vascular tone. to investigate the hypothesis that edrf may participate in the renal vasodilatation and increased gfr after amino acid infusion, we characterized the effect of inhibition of ed ...	1991	2045148
synaptogenesis in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus: a light microscopic immunocytochemical survey.	mabq155, a monoclonal antibody against synaptophysin, has been used to conduct a light microscopic survey of synaptogenesis in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the perinatal rat. synaptophysin is an integral component of synaptic vesicle membranes which is expressed in growth cones and growth cone filopodia as well as in mature synapses. with the light microscope, mabq155 immunoreactivity in growth cones can be distinguished from that in presynaptic terminals on the basis of the size of immunoreac ...	1991	1906770
restriction fragment length polymorphism of the dna of typhus group rickettsiae.	the dna of 10 strains of rickettsia prowazekii, 5 strains of rickettsia typhi and 1 strain of rickettsia canada was investigated by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. interspecies differences were characterized by a great number of noncomigrating bands. using the endonuclease hindiii and psti fragments comigration as a quantitative criterion, genetic similarity coefficient was calculated for the pair rickettsia prowazekii/rickettsia typhi-32.0%, for rickettsia prowazekii/ricketts ...	1991	1687635
development of an in vitro microtest to assess drug susceptibility of babesia bovis and babesia bigemina.	continuous cultivation of the bovine hemoparasites babesia bovis and babesia bigemina was developed as an in vitro microtest to assess parasite susceptibility to babesicidal compounds. reproducibility of parasite multiplication rates was independent of culture size, making it possible to use a microscale of 100 microliters for each test sample. inhibitory concentrations (ic50s) of a commonly used babesicide, quinuronium sulfate, evaluated by this in vitro method were found to be 5 x 10(-8) g/ml ...	1991	1779305
use of a most probable number method modified with a deoxyribonucleic probe to monitor control by food preservatives of natural salmonella contamination in animal meat meals.	a most probable number (mpn) technique using a dna probe was developed for determination of salmonella in naturally contaminated meat meals. the method eliminated the need for 180 selective plates and 75 selective tubes and saved 27 h when compared with a traditional technique; yet it still yielded identical mpn of salmonella per 100 g in five naturally contaminated samples. the method was used to monitor the effect of a commercial food preservative (sal curb) at 0, .25, .50, 1.0, and 2.0% in me ...	1991	1876558
immunoblot studies to analyze antibody to the rickettsia typhi group antigen in sera from patients with acute febrile cerebrovasculitis.	in 1986, an unusual syndrome of acute febrile cerebrovasculitis in the piedmont region of virginia was reported. all patients had encephalopathy and prior exposure to both a sylvan environment and flea-infested animals. the initial serological studies suggested a rickettsial origin, corroborating clinical, epidemiological, and histopathological findings. sera from four of five patients were subsequently studied by immunoblotting. unabsorbed and absorbed sera were tested with electrophoresed and ...	1991	1723073
structure of the glycocalyx polysaccharide of pseudomonas fragi atcc 4973.	the structure of the exocellular glycocalyx polysaccharide of pseudomonas fragi atcc 4973, a bacterium implicated in the spoilage of meat, has been determined using hydrolysis, methylation analysis and 1d- and 2d-n.m.r. spectroscopy. the polysaccharide, which aids in the adhesion of the cells to each other and to the meat tissue, has the regular repeating unit ----4)-3-o-[(r)-1-carboxyethyl]-alpha-d-glcp-(1----3)-beta-d-manpnac+ ++- (1----4)-beta-d-glcp-(1----. random partial o-acetylation occur ...	1991	1797390
structure of the glycocalyx polysaccharide of pseudomonas fragi atcc 4973.	the structure of the exocellular glycocalyx polysaccharide of pseudomonas fragi atcc 4973, a bacterium implicated in the spoilage of meat, has been determined using hydrolysis, methylation analysis and 1d- and 2d-n.m.r. spectroscopy. the polysaccharide, which aids in the adhesion of the cells to each other and to the meat tissue, has the regular repeating unit ----4)-3-o-[(r)-1-carboxyethyl]-alpha-d-glcp-(1----3)-beta-d-manpnac+ ++- (1----4)-beta-d-glcp-(1----. random partial o-acetylation occur ...	1991	1797390
experimental paracoccidioidomycosis in ethyl alcohol-fed rats.	1. the course of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis was studied in alcohol-fed rats and compared with pair-fed and ad libitum controls. the alcohol-fed rats were fed a regular commercial solid diet plus a 32% (v/v) ethyl alcohol-25% sucrose (w/v) solution 4 weeks prior to the infection and throughout the study. the inoculum was standardized in terms of virulence, age of culture, percentage of multicellular fungal units containing 1-3 cells and viability. 2. the extent of infection was measured ...	1991	1797283
experimental paracoccidioidomycosis in ethyl alcohol-fed rats.	1. the course of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis was studied in alcohol-fed rats and compared with pair-fed and ad libitum controls. the alcohol-fed rats were fed a regular commercial solid diet plus a 32% (v/v) ethyl alcohol-25% sucrose (w/v) solution 4 weeks prior to the infection and throughout the study. the inoculum was standardized in terms of virulence, age of culture, percentage of multicellular fungal units containing 1-3 cells and viability. 2. the extent of infection was measured ...	1991	1797283
genetic characterization and transovarial transmission of a typhus-like rickettsia found in cat fleas.	the identification of apparently fastidious microorganisms is often problematic. dna from a rickettsia-like agent (called the elb agent) present in cat fleas could be amplified by pcr with conserved primers derived from rickettsial 17-kda common protein antigen and citrate synthase genes but not spotted fever group 190-kda antigen gene. alu i sites in both the 17-kda and citrate synthase pcr products obtained with the rickettsia-like agent and rickettsia typhi were different even though both age ...	1992	1729713
epidemiologic classics of carter, maxcy, trudeau, and smith.	four great epidemiologists whose work so concisely linked clinical observations, epidemiologic clues, and logical preventive measures are discussed. henry rose carter set the stage for the walter reed successes in cuba by showing that 9-16 days must elapse after contact before yellow fever develops. this provided the link for the reed group to allow the "virus" to incubate in the mosquito before becoming infectious. kenneth maxcy clarified the controversy between endemic typhus fever and brill's ...	1992	1730891
characteristics of neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in australia showing decreased sensitivity to quinolone antibiotics.	forty three strains of neisseria gonorrhoeae with decreased sensitivity to quinolone antibiotics were detected amongst 2141 australian isolates of gonococci examined in the years 1984 to 1990. the strains examined belonged to 23 different auxotype/serovar classes, were generally more resistant to other antibiotics and, in the majority of cases, were isolated from travellers entering or returning to australia from se asia. quinolone-sensitive wild-type gonococci became less sensitive to these age ...	1992	1315946
intracellular movements of rickettsia conorii and r. typhi based on actin polymerization.	human vascular endothelial, vero and human embryonic lung cells infected with rickettsiae for 24 h or 48 h were labelled for polymerized actin with nbd-phallacidin. between 20 and 68% of the intracellular rickettsia conorii had an actin tail of between 0.33 and 15 microns, with the longest tails being observed in vero cells. in the case of r. typhi less than 1% of the organisms had actin tails and these were considerably shorter than those of r. conorii. these findings provide new information co ...	1992	1299836
expression and release of neuroregulators during development: monoamines and neuropeptides.	the turnover of catecholamines (ca) was determined in the adrenal medulla and brain of rat fetuses and pups. in general we found a considerable increase soon after birth. the expression of mrna for ca-synthesizing enzymes was also considerably enhanced in the adrenals shortly after birth. furthermore, we demonstrated increased expression of neuropeptides after birth, increased synthesis of mrna encoding for neuropeptide y in the adrenals 24 h after birth; and considerable activation of the subst ...	1992	1306802
new monoclonal antibodies for the detection of immediate early antigens of cytomegalovirus.	two new monoclonal antibodies, cie-1 and cie-2, were developed for the rapid detection of human cytomegalovirus (hcmv) infection. they were found to be reactive with immediate early protein of hcmv in the nuclei of infected fibroblasts, as early as 3 hours post-infection. by radioimmunoprecipitation, cie-1 was found to react with a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 70,000, whereas cie-2 precipitated 2 proteins of 70,000 and 72,000 daltons, respectively. both monoclonal antibodies reco ...	1992	1319172
the prevalence of arboviral, rickettsial, and hantaan-like viral antibody among schoolchildren in the nile river delta of egypt.	a serosurvey was conducted during october and november 1989 to estimate the prevalence of selected arboviral, rickettsial, and hantaan viral antibody among a sample of schoolchildren from 4 villages in the bilbeis area of the nile river delta, egypt. blood specimens were obtained from subjects aged 8 to 14 years. enzyme immunoassay testing of the sera indicated that the prevalence of antibody was 9% (21/223) for sicilian sandfly fever, 4% (8/223) for rift valley fever, 3% (15/437) for west nile ...	1992	1363163
mapping of monoclonal antibody binding sites on cnbr fragments of the s-layer protein antigens of rickettsia typhi and rickettsia prowazekii.	the 120 kda surface protein antigens (spas) of typhus rickettsiae lie external to the outer membrane in regular arrays and chemically resemble the s-layer proteins of other bacteria. these proteins elicit protective immune responses against the rickettsiae. in order to study the immunochemistry of these proteins, purified spas from rickettsia typhi and rickettsia prowazekii were fragmented with cnbr. the fragments were separated by sds-page and were recovered on pvdf membrane following electrobl ...	1992	1370573
the laboratory diagnosis of rickettsial diseases in hong kong.	indirect immunoperoxidase (ip) tests against antigens of rickettsia typhi, r. sibirica and r. tsutsugamushi were carried out on serum samples from 10 patients known to have high titres against one or more proteus ox antigens in the weil-felix (wf) test. the ip test confirmed rickettsial infection in nine of the 10 patients, giving unequivocal indications of the grouping of the infecting rickettsia species and, in one instance, showing a diagnostic igm titre in a specimen taken on day 3 of the pa ...	1992	1404554
[a rejoinder to the case of arthritis attributed to rickettsia typhi].		1992	1552770
a case of murine typhus in queensland.	to present a case of murine (endemic) typhus, the first to be reported within the last 30 years in australia.	1992	1625620
typhus and typhuslike rickettsiae associated with opossums and their fleas in los angeles county, california.	the recent discovery of cat fleas (ctenocephalides felis) infected with a typhuslike rickettsia (designated the elb agent) raises the question of whether similar rickettsial infections exist in wild cat flea populations. we verified the presence of the elb agent and rickettsia typhi in urban and suburban areas of los angeles, calif. opossums trapped in close proximity to the residences of human murine typhus cases in los angeles county and other areas within the city of los angeles were tested f ...	1992	1629332
murine typhus endocarditis.	we have described a 28-year-old male sheepfarmer who had fever, headache, chills, malaise, and aortic insufficiency. echocardiography revealed a tricuspid aortic valve with a large vegetation on the right cusp, an enlarged left ventricle, and diastolic flutter of the mitral valve. repeated blood cultures were negative. seroconversion of igg and igm to rickettsia typhi was found on the 13th day of hospitalization. the patient was treated with tetracycline for 1 year and remained afebrile and free ...	1992	1631693
letter: effect of x-ray exposure on nitroblue-tetrazolium test.		1992	48171
community-based prevalence profile of arboviral, rickettsial, and hantaan-like viral antibody in the nile river delta of egypt.	to determine the current prevalence of antibody to arboviruses, rickettsiae, and hantaan-like viruses, a survey was carried out in the nile river valley of egypt, one of the principal foci of the 1977-1978 rift valley fever (rvf) outbreak. blood specimens were obtained from 915 persons representing 190 study households. enzyme immunoassay testing showed that the overall prevalence of igg antibody was 4% to sand fly fever sicilian (sfs), 2% to sandfly fever naples (sfn), 15% to rvf, 20% to west n ...	1993	8101432
determination of genome size and restriction pattern polymorphism of rickettsia prowazekii and rickettsia typhi by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.	pulsed field gel electrophoresis (pfge) of smai, mlui and sali digested dna was used to estimate genome size and perform restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis for rickettsia prowazekii and rickettsia typhi. we concluded that the genome of r. prowazekii and r. typhi consisted of a single chromosomal dna. the total length of dna of r. prowazekii was 1,106 +/- 54 kb and of r. typhi was 1,133 +/- 44 kb. it was possible to differentiate two strains of r. prowazekii, breinl and evir, by pf ...	1993	8104842
cloning and sequence analysis of the gene encoding the crystalline surface layer protein of rickettsia typhi.	the nucleotide sequence of the gene (slpt) encoding the crystalline surface layer protein (slp) of rickettsia typhi was determined. the slpt gene consists of 4935 bp coding for a 1645-amino-acid (aa) protein containing a predicted signal peptide at the n terminus. the size of the predicted slp exceeds the observed size (135 kda) on sds-page. the n-terminal aa sequence of the 32-kda protein of r. typhi reported by hackstadt et al. [infect. immun. 60 (1992) 159-165] was found in the c-terminal por ...	1993	8224886
transmission cycle of murine typhus in greece.	a field study, based on a follow up of the 49 human cases of the disease that occurred on the island of evia in 1985, has established the transmission cycle of murine typhus in greece for the first time. in 1993, two types of traps were used to catch 53 rats, all of them rattus norvegicus, in the localities where the cases had occurred. some 300 fleas, all of them probably xenopsylla cheopis, and a few ticks and mites were collected from the rats. eight of the fleas were found positive for ricke ...	1994	7893179
murine typhus: updated roles of multiple urban components and a second typhuslike rickettsia.	studies using serologic and polymerase chain reaction-(pcr) facilitated analysis of field samples from southern texas indicate the presence of rickettsia typhi and elb agent infected cat fleas, ctenocephalides felis (bouché), and the first observation of elb infected vertebrates (opossums). the elb agent is a recently described typhus-like rickettsia that is not distinguished from r. typhi or r. prowazekii by currently available serologic reagents. restriction digests of pcr products from 399 fl ...	1994	7966170
identification of a novel rickettsial infection in a patient diagnosed with murine typhus.	identification of elb agent-infected fleas and rodents within several foci of murine typhus in the united states has prompted a retrospective investigation for this agent among human murine typhus patients. this agent is a recently described rickettsia which is indistinguishable from rickettsia typhi with currently available serologic reagents. molecular analysis of the 17-kda antigen gene and the citrate synthase gene has discriminated this bacterium from other typhus group and spotted fever gr ...	1994	8027348
prevalence of antibodies to rickettsiae in the human population of suburban bangkok.	following a report of three cases of scrub typhus in suburban bangkok, we performed a serosurvey in the patients' communities. both igg and igm antibodies were measured in an indirect immunoperoxidase assay, using separate spots of antigen from rickettsia tsutsugamushi (scrub typhus), r. typhi (murine typhus), and tt-118 spotted fever group rickettsiae. of 215 people donating blood, antibody levels indicative of most recent exposure to r. tsutsugamushi were most prevalent (21%), followed by r. t ...	1994	8074248
identification of a natural cycle involving rickettsia typhi infection of monopsyllus sciurorum sciurorum fleas from the nests of the fat dormouse (glis glis).	in a mountainous area in the dinaric beech-fir forest of southern slovenia, summer nests of the european fat dormouse (glis glis) were collected. from these dormouse nests, 180 monopsyllus sciurorum sciurorum fleas were examined by polymerase chain reaction with primers for the rickettsia citrate synthase gene. samples from one nest yielded the expected 381 base pair dna product. the origin of the dna product was identified as rickettsia typhi by alui restriction fragment length polymorphism ana ...	1994	7672059
serologic evidence of respiratory and rickettsial infections among somali refugees.	somali refugees living in a camp located in djibouti were studied in october 1991 and may 1992. the refugees had been living at the camp for about two years. the median age of volunteers was 25 years, of whom 69% were female. paired sera obtained seven months apart were evaluated by complement fixation, microimmunofluorescence, indirect fluorescent antibody, streptococcal antibody, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques for evidence of pathogen infection. fifty-two percent, 31.3%, 8.0% ...	1995	7741176
genotype characterization of the bacterium expressing the male-killing trait in the ladybird beetle adalia bipunctata with specific rickettsial molecular tools.	the male-killing ladybird beetle (lb) bacterium (ab bacterium) was analyzed with specific rickettsial molecular biology tools in the lb adalia bipunctata strains. eight phenotype-positive lb strains showing mortality of male embryos were amplified with rickettsial genus-specific primers from the gene for citrate synthase (cs) and the gene for a 17-kda protein and spotted fever group-specific primers from the gene for the 120-kda outer membrane protein (ompb). the specificity of amplification was ...	1995	7747963
cross-reactivity of rickettsia japonica and rickettsia typhi demonstrated by immunofluorescence and western immunoblotting.	cross-reactivity between rickettsia japonica and r. typhi was observed by immunofluorescence tests using sera from patients with oriental spotted fever (osf), from whom the causative agent was isolated and identified as r. japonica. western immunoblotting with these sera revealed that only the 120-kilodalton surface polypeptide, i.e., rickettsial outer membrane protein (romp) b, has a common antigenicity with the 105-kilodalton surface polypeptide of r. typhi. in some cases, antibodies specifica ...	1995	8789054
laboratory acquired murine typhus--a case report.	a 34-year-old laboratory worker developed murine typhus after an accidental splashing of rickettsia typhi over her right eye and lips. indirect immunoperoxidase test showed a four-fold increase in titre to rickettsia typhi. she responded well to doxycycline.	1995	7565191
isolation, cultivation, and partial characterization of the elb agent associated with cat fleas.	elb rickettsiae from cat flea homogenates were recovered in tissue culture cells following sequential passage through laboratory rats and the yolk sacs of embryonated chicken eggs. seven days after inoculation of elb from the infected yolk sacs, vero cells and l929 cells were observed to contain intracellular bacteria as demonstrated by diff quik and indirect immunofluorescence assay staining. the rickettsial and elb identity of the cultured agent was confirmed by pcr detection of the 16s rrna a ...	1995	7591142
ph and calcium dependence of hemolysis due to rickettsia prowazekii: comparison with phospholipase activity.	rickettsia prowazekii invades nucleated cells through phagocytosis and subsequently proliferates in the cytoplasm of the host cell. hemolysis and a phospholipase a2 (pla2) activity at neutral phs have previously been reported; even though the phagosomal environment is most likely acidic. we here show that r. prowazekii and r. typhi also lyse erythrocytes at mildly acidic phs, compatible with an early phagosomal compartment. for r. prowazekii, hemolysis at an acidic ph but not a neutral ph is enh ...	1995	7622232
antibodies against rickettsiaceae in dogs of setúbal, portugal.	an indirect fluorescent antibody test was performed on sera collected from dogs housed in the municipal kennel of setúbal to assess the prevalence of antibodies to ehrlichia canis, the causative agent of canine ehrlichiosis and to rickettsia conorii, agent of boutonneuse fever in humans. two other members of the family rickettsiaceae, coxiella burnetii and rickettsia typhi, were included in the serosurvey. of the 104 dogs tested, 85.6% had antibodies to r. conorii, 50% to e. canis, 26.9% to r. t ...	1995	7655402
seroepidemiological survey of rickettsial infections among blood donors in central tunisia.	in this report we attempt to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies against rickettsia conorii, r. typhi, coxiella burnettii, and ehrlichia chaffeensis in central tunisia. five hundred sera from blood donors, collected between march and june 1993, were tested for these 4 antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay (ifa). nine percent of the sera had antibodies against r. conorii (igg > 1:32) by ifa, and 8% by western blotting; with ifa, 3.6% had antibodies to r. typhi, 26% to c ...	1995	7660428
comparative evaluation of a commercial enzyme immunoassay for the detection of human antibody to rickettsia typhi.	a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit called the dip-s-ticks (ds) for the detection of total immunoglobulin (ig) g and igm human antibodies to rickettsia typhi was evaluated. in tests with 340 serum samples from patients with diagnosed cases of rickettsial diseases, patients suffering from other febrile illnesses, and normal subjects, the ds compared favorably with the standard indirect fluorescent-antibody (ifa) test. at ifa cutoff titers of > or = 1.64 and > or = 1:128, the ds showed sensitiviti ...	1995	7664182
the seroprevalence of ten zoonoses in two villages of crete, greece.	the seroprevalence and incidence of 10 zoonoses due to rickettsia typhi, r. conorii, coxiella burnetii, burcella sp., borrelia sp., toxoplasma sp., leishmania sp., entamoeba histolytica, echinococcus granulosus and fasciola hepatica were studied in an animal husbandry and a farming village in crete, greece. the serum conversion incidence of each infectious agent was determined by testing 2 blood samples, collected in 1985 and in 1987. the surveillance was conducted using detailed transparent map ...	1995	8549708
prevalence of antibodies to coxiella burnetti, rickettsia conorii, and rickettsia typhi in seven african countries.	the prevalences of antibodies reactive with coxiella burnetti, rickettsia conorii, and rickettsia typhi were determined by indirect fluorescent antibody testing of sera from seven african countries. the seroprevalences of antibodies reactive with c. burnetti and r. conorii in countries from north africa were similar to those reported from southern europe. in countries of sub-saharan africa, the seroprevalence of antibodies reactive with c. burnetti varied greatly; the generally higher figures fo ...	1995	8589132
photo quiz. murine typhus (rickettsia typhi)		1995	8645830
seroepidemiology of rickettsial infections in morocco.	the prevalence of antibodies reactive with rickettsia conorii, rickettsia typhi, coxiella burnetii and ehrlichia chaffeensis was investigated using indirect immunofluorescence (ifa) test on human sera obtained from 300 blood donors in casablanca and 126 sera obtained from clinical laboratories in fez. in sera from casablanca, antibodies reactive at titers > or = 1:32 were found against r. conorii (7%), and r. typhi (1.7%), but not against e. chaffeensis. in the sera from fez, antibodies were als ...	1995	8861849
prevalence of antibodies to rickettsiae in the north-western part of bosnia and herzegovina.	the prevalence of rickettsial antibodies in north-western part of bosnia and herzegovina was studied. among 231 sera tested by complement fixation (cf) positive were: 61.5% for rickettsia typhi, 4.3% for r. prowazekii, 1.7% for r. conorii and 19.0% for coxiella burnetii. of 183 sera tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (ifa) 37.7% reacted with r. typhi, 1.6% with r. conorii and 22.4% with c. burnetii. the results show that at least r. typhi and c. burnetii are highly endemic in this area.	1995	8861855
rickettsia felis: a new species of pathogenic rickettsia isolated from cat fleas.	a flea-borne rickettsia, previously referred to as elb, has been implicated as a cause of human illness. using sequence data obtained from a fragment of the citrate synthase gene, we compared elb, rickettsia australis, r. rickettsii, and r. akari with the louse-borne r. prowazekii. we tallied 24 base pair differences between elb and r. prowazekii and 25 between r. rickettsii and r. prowazekii; there were 30 base pair differences between r. australis and r. prowazekii and 29 between r. akari and ...	1996	8904435
expression and purification of the crystalline surface layer protein of rickettsia typhi.	the crystalline surface layer (s-layer) protein (slp) of rickettsia typhi is known as the protective antigen against murine typhus. we previously reported a cloning and sequence analysis of the slp gene of r. typhi (slpt) and showed that the open reading frame of this gene encodes both the slp and a 32-kda protein. to express only the slp from this gene, the putative signal sequence and the 32-kda protein portion were removed from the slpt. this protein was expressed in escherichia coli as a fus ...	1996	8934678
liver involvement in murine typhus.	liver involvement was retrospectively evaluated in 137 patients with murine typhus. fifteen (10.9%) were jaundiced. one patient had been subjected to cholecystectomy after misdiagnosis of acute cholecystitis. serum aminotransferase levels were abnormal in 48/52 measurements, and there were elevations of > 5-fold in 14 patients. liver biopsies and/or necropsies from four jaundiced patients showed portal tract and sinusoidal infiltrates, cloudy swelling/and necrosis of the hepatocytes and occasion ...	1996	8935483
the in-vitro anti-rickettsial activity of macrolides.	the anti-rickettsial activity of azithromycin and clarithromycin was studied in vero cells. the rate of rickettsial inhibition-growth caused by both macrolides was determined using rickettsial counts and elisa. both macrolides inhibited > 50% the growth of rickettsia conorii and rickettsia typhi at concentrations of 1.0 and 0.1 mg/l, respectively. the growth of coxiella burnetii was inhibited to a rate of > or = 50% at the concentrations of 0.01 and 1.0 mg/l of azithromycin and clarithromycin, r ...	1996	8937968
the typhus group.		1996	8727129
[spotted fever group rickettsiosis and vectors in kanagawa prefecture].	primer pairs for pcr were designed from the gene encoding the 17,000-molecular-weight genus-common antigen of rickettsia japonica, rickettsia rickettsii, rickettsia conorii, rickettsia typhi and rickettsia prowazekii. primers r1, r2 were designed for amplifying the genomic dna from spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae and epidemic typhus rickettsiae. primers rj5, rj10 were designed for amplifying the genomic dna from only r. japonica. using the primers r1, r2, about a 540-bp fragment was observ ...	1996	8741704
unrecognized spotted fever group rickettsiosis masquerading as dengue fever in mexico.	although rocky mountain spotted fever was documented in northern mexico during the 1940s, spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsioses have subsequently received little attention in mexico. in this study, sera collected in 1993 from 50 patients from the mexican states of yucatan and jalisco, who were suspected clinically to have dengue fever but had no antibodies to dengue virus, were examined by indirect immunofluorescence for igm antibodies reactive with rickettsia rickettsii, r. akari, and r. typh ...	1996	8780453
identification and characterization of epitopes on the 120-kilodalton surface protein antigen of rickettsia prowazekii with synthetic peptides.	the 120-kda surface protein antigens (spas) of typhus rickettsiae are highly immunogenic and have been shown to be responsible for the species-specific serological reactions of the typhus group rickettsiae. to study the immunochemistry of these proteins, overlapping decapeptides encompassing the whole protein were synthesized on derivatized polyethylene pins. a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to identify epitopes recognized by rabbit hyperimmune antisera to rickettsia prowaze ...	1996	8606109
genotypic identification of murine typhus rickettsia in rats and their fleas in an endemic area of greece by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.	forty-nine cases of murine typhus were diagnosed in recent years in residents of several communities around the city of chalkis, the capital of the prefecture of evia. (euboea) evia is an island connected to central mainland greece by a bridge. to investigate the endemicity of murine typhus in this area, 226 fleas (xenopsylla cheopis) and blood samples were collected from 53 rats (rattus norvegicus) trapped in this area. the polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polym ...	1996	8615457
molecular phylogeny and in situ detection of the etiologic agent of necrotizing hepatopancreatitis in shrimp.	necrotizing hepatopancreatitis (nhp) is a severe disease of farm-raised penaeus vannamei that has been associated with mortality losses ranging from 20 to 95%. nhp was first recognized in texas in 1985 (s. k. johnson, p. 16, in handbook of shrimp diseases, 1989) and is an economically important disease that has limited the ability to culture shrimp in texas. the putative cause of nhp is a gram-negative, pleomorphic, intracellular, rickettsia-like bacterium that remains uncultured in part because ...	1996	8795235
the biology of rickettsiae.	rickettsiae are bacterial obligate intracellular parasites ranging from harmless endosymbionts to the etiologic agents of some of the most devastating diseases known to mankind. rickettsiae are primarily associated with arthropod vectors in which they may exist commensally and, in most cases, only accidentally infect humans. these fascinating microbes are the prototypical obligate intracellular parasites. other than being extremely fastidious in their growth requirements, however, rickettsiae ar ...	1996	8805076
murine typhus still exists in the united states.		1996	8816170
parasites and selected diseases of collared peccaries (tayassu tajacu) in the trans-pecos region of texas.	fifty-five collared peccaries (tayassu tajacu) were collected from october 1988 through april 1991 from five counties within the trans-pecos region of texas (usa) to monitor for diseases and parasites. no endoparasites were recovered on gross examination. antibody to borrelia burgdorferi was documented in one (2%) of 55 specimens. three (6%) of 54 collared peccaries were positive for yersinia pestis antibodies. all collared peccaries were negative for antibodies against brucella spp., francisell ...	1996	8827690
the use of bronchoscopic sponge biopsy in the diagnosis of pulmonary neoplasms.	a modified method of transbronchoscopic sponge biopsy is presented a series of 212 patients is discussed. a diagnostic accuracy rate of 89 per cent was obtained in the 159 cases of proved carcinoma. false-positive and false-negative results are discussed. this technique was found to be an easy, rapid, accurate, and inexpensive method of obtaining samples for cytologic evaluation in the preoperative work-up of patients with suspected pulmonary malignancies.	1996	173934
molecular biology to check patients treated for cml.		1997	2627627
retinal manifestations of acute murine typhus.	to report the ocular manifestations of acute serologically confirmed murine typhus.	1997	9587827
short report: surveillance of rickettsial infections in indonesian military personnel during peace keeping operations in cambodia.	indonesian peacekeepers in cambodia provided a unique study population to estimate the threat of rickettsial exposure to rickettsia typhi (murine typhus), orientia tsutsugamushi, (scrub typhus), and r. conorii (spotted fever) for the region. prescreening prevalence measure showed a large proportion (36%) of soldiers with antibodies to r. typhi. predeployment prevalence for antibodies to o. tsutsugamushi was 8%, with no evidence of background r. conorii infections. actual seroconversions of r. ty ...	1997	9392597
immunohistochemical diagnosis of typhus rickettsioses using an anti-lipopolysaccharide monoclonal antibody.	a monoclonal antibody directed against an epitope on the lipopolysaccharide of typhus-group rickettsiae was developed for the purpose of detecting this heat-stable, proteinase-resistant antigen in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. rickettsia prowazekii organisms were identified in endothelium and macrophages in sections of the brains of three egyptian men who died of epidemic louse-borne typhus in cairo during world war ii and in the brain from a recent case of typhus fever acquired in ...	1997	9346184
[serological study of rickettsia infections in niamey, niger].	rickettsioses is a possible alternative to presumptive diagnosis of malaria. a serologic study was carried out in 1994 to determine the prevalence of rickettsioses in children under 5 years of age from three different areas of niamey, niger. indirect immunofluorescent assays using the micromethod were performed with antigens for rickettsia conori, rickettsia mooseri, and coxiella burneti. results were read from a positive threshold of 1/160 up to 1/640. out of a randomized population of 177 chil ...	1997	9304008
jail fever (epidemic typhus) outbreak in burundi.	we recently investigated a suspected outbreak of epidemic typhus in a jail in burundi. we tested sera of nine patients by microimmunofluorescence for antibodies to rickettsia prowazekii and rickettsia typhi. we also amplified and sequenced from lice gene portions specific for two r. prowazekii proteins: the gene encoding for citrate synthase and the gene encoding for the rickettsial outer membrane protein. all patients exhibited antibodies specific for r. prowazekii. specific gene sequences were ...	1997	9284381
[endemic typhus imported to norway].	murine typhus, caused by rickettsia typhi, is an important zoonosis in all parts of the world. the disease is transmitted from rodents to humans by fleas. in this article we describe the first three cases of serologically proven murine typhus imported into norway during the 1990s. the patients were norwegian tourists who had visited respectively guinea-bissau, crete and thailand. they all became acutely ill with fever, chills and severe headache 1-10 days after return to norway. none of them had ...	1997	9265302
citrate synthase gene comparison, a new tool for phylogenetic analysis, and its application for the rickettsiae.	using pcr and an automated laser fluorescent dna sequencer, we amplified and sequenced a 1,234-bp fragment of the citrate synthase-encoding gene (glta) of 28 bacteria belonging to the genus rickettsia. comparative sequence analysis showed that most of the spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae belonged to one of two subgroups. the first subgroup included rickettsia massiliae, strain bar 29, rickettsia rhipicephali, "rickettsia aeschlimanni," and rickettsia montana, which have been isolated only f ...	1997	9103608
domestic cats as indicators of the presence of spotted fever and typhus group rickettsiae.	using indirect immunofluorescence assays, sera from cats in zimbabwe (n = 119) and south africa (n = 52) were found to contain antibodies reactive with rickettsia conorii (34% and 19% respectively) and r. typhi (7% and 10% respectively). these results indicate that cats may become infected with members of the spotted fever and typhus groups of rickettsiae and that cats can, therefore, be used as indicators of the presence of these organisms.	1997	9062789
seroepidemiologic evidence for murine and scrub typhus in malang, indonesia.	indonesian military personnel stationed in malang, east java were among troops deployed to central cambodia as part of the united nations' transition authority cambodia peace-keeping operation in 1992. predeployment blood samples obtained from a cohort of indonesian soldiers indicated a high prevalence of antibodies to antigens of rickettsia typhi or orientia (formerly rickettsia) tsutsugamushi, the etiologic agents for murine and scrub typhus, respectively. to evaluate the potential risk of the ...	1997	9242326
flea-borne rickettsioses: ecologic considerations.	ecologic and economic factors, as well as changes in human behavior, have resulted in the emergence of new and the reemergence of existing but forgotten infectious diseases during the past 20 years. flea-borne disease organisms (e.g., yersinia pestis, rickettsia typhi, r. felis, and bartonella henselae) are widely distributed throughout the world in endemic-disease foci, where components of the enzootic cycle are present. however, flea-borne diseases could reemerge in epidemic form because of ch ...	1997	9284376
seroepidemiology of rickettsia typhi, spotted fever group rickettsiae, and coxiella burnetti infection in pregnant women from urban tanzania.	immunofluorescent antibody (ifa) testing was performed on sera drawn from 150 pregnant women in the port city of dar es salaam, tanzania. prevalence of antibodies to rickettsia typhi was 28%, higher than in any of the 12 other african countries in which serosurveys using ifa testing have been performed. seroprevalence of antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae antigens was 25.3%, comparable with that found in other sub-saharan countries endemic for amblyomma ticks. only 4.7% of women were ...	1997	9288814
murine typhus in the kaukapakapa area again.		1997	9448892
murine typhus presenting with multiple white dots in the retina.	the retinal manifestations of murine typhus have rarely been reported. we report a case of murine typhus with multiple retinal white dots, which are similar to the presentation of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome.	1997	9571749
reverse transcriptase pcr amplification of rickettsia typhi from infected mammalian cells and insect vectors.	we developed a reverse transcriptase pcr assay to detect expression of 120- and 17-kda antigen genes in rickettsia typhi. infected vero cell and flea rnas were reverse transcribed by using random hexamers. the cdna was amplified by using high concentrations of primer and template in an inexpensive, nonradioactive assay.	1998	9620425
molecular identification of rickettsia typhi and r. felis in co-infected ctenocephalides felis (siphonaptera: pulicidae).	rickettsia typhi and r. felis, 2 closely related rickettsial species, often have been identified in cat fleas, ctenocephalides felis (bouché) from the same geographical location. however, no fleas have been found to be naturally infected concurrently with both rickettsial species. to examine whether one rickettsial species can develop simultaneously with another species in the same flea host, cat fleas, naturally infected with r. felis, were allowed to feed on blood containing r. typhi (ethiopia ...	1998	9701920
serological studies of an acid-labile o-polysaccharide of proteus vulgaris ox19 lipopolysaccharide using human and rabbit antibodies.	in a weil-felix test, sera from patients infected with rickettsia sp. agglutinate proteus ox types of bacteria and proteus lipopolysaccharide (lps) are responsible for the cross-reaction. data on the character of lps of one of the ox group strains, proteus vulgaris ox19, are contradictory, and it remained unclear whether it has an o-polysaccharide (ops) and is thus lps of the smooth type (s) or not (rough-type lps). our studies showed that p. vulgaris ox19 (strain pzh-24) produces a smooth-type ...	1998	9858461
serological evidence of natural infection of wild rodents (rattus spp and tupaia glis) with rickettsiae in malaysia.		1998	10437957
structural properties of lipopolysaccharides from rickettsia typhi and rickettsia prowazekii and their chemical similarity to the lipopolysaccharide from proteus vulgaris ox19 used in the weil-felix test.	the lipopolysaccharides (lpss) isolated from typhus group (tg) rickettsiae rickettsia typhi and rickettsia prowazekii were characterized by chemical analysis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds-page) followed by silver staining. lpss from two species of tg rickettsiae contained glucose, 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid, glucosamine, quinovosamine, phosphate, and fatty acids (beta-hydroxylmyristic acid and heneicosanoic acid) but not heptose. the o-polysaccharides o ...	1998	9488376
prevalence of antibodies to rickettsia conorii ricketsia africae, rickettsia typhi and coxiella burnetii in mauritania.		1998	9928878
murine typhus in travelers returning from indonesia.	we report the first three documented cases of murine typhus imported into europe from indonesia, discuss clues for the diagnosis of the disease, and urge that murine fever be considered in the diagnosis of febrile disease in travelers.	1998	9866749
murine typhus, portugal.		1998	9763932
vectors vs. humans in australia--who is on top down under? an update on vector-borne disease and research on vectors in australia.	australia has a diversity of vectors and vector-borne human diseases. mosquito-borne arboviruses are of greatest concern, but there are issues with other vector and pathogen systems. mosquitoes were responsible for more than 35,000 cases of ross river virus during 1991-1997. barmah forest virus is increasing nationwide, and unidentified bunyaviruses suspected of causing illness have been isolated. cases of murray valley encephalitis have occurred in 14 of the past 20 years in northern australia. ...	1998	9673928
detection of point mutations in rpob gene of rifampin-resistant rickettsia typhi.	the rpob gene of rifampin-resistant rickettsia typhi (rif mutant) and wild-type r. typhi were sequenced and compared. the rif mutant rpob had three nucleotide substitutions, which resulted in amino acid changes at residues 151, 201, and 271 and may be the basis for the rifampin resistance.	1998	9661032
septic shock and multiorganic failure in murine typhus.		1998	9629982
is murine typhus re-emerging in portugal ?	murine typhus or endemic typhus is an infectious disease, clinically very similar to epidemic typhus, and caused by rickettsia typhi(sometimes referred to as r. mooseri). murine typhus was fairly common in portugal until the 1940s, when several cases diag	1998	12631783