Molecular confirmation & characterization of Rickettsia conorii in north India: A report of three cases

The Indian Journal of Medical Research
Manisha BiswalAshish Bhalla

Abstract

In India, spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) are an underdiagnosed cause of acute febrile illness (AFI). The non-specific Weil-Felix test is the first diagnostic modality for the diagnosis of SFGR in many laboratories due to the lack of advanced diagnostic facilities in developing countries. The aim of this study was to detect SFGR using molecular methods in the patients, presenting with AFI in a tertiary care centre in north India. Consecutive patients (>14 yr of age) with AFI were enrolled over a six month period. Standard investigations for common pathogens causing AFI in India (malaria, dengue, scrub typhus, leptospirosis and enteric fever) were carried out. In patients who were negative for all of the above investigations, blood was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene of Rickettsia. Of the 51 patients with an undiagnosed aetiology, three were positive by ompA PCR. Two of the PCR products produced good sequences and BLAST identification confirmed them as Rickettsia conorii. The sequences of R. conorii reported from south India clustered with two previously reported novel rickettsial genotypes. The study sequences clustered in a group different from that of Ricketts...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 25, 2020·Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease·Manisha BiswalSunil Sethi
Sep 9, 2021·Pathogens and Global Health·Elangovan DDumler Js

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
ELISA
PCR
electrophoresis

Software Mentioned

BLAST
MEGA
MEGA7

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