dc.contributor.author |
Ng'ang'a, Zipporah W. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Maina, Alice N. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Jiang, Ju |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Omulo, Sylvia A. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Cutler, Sally J. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Ade, Fredrick |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Ogola, Eric |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Feikin, Daniel R. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Njenga, M. Kariuki, |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Cleaveland, Sarah |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Mpoke, Solomon |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Breiman, Robert F. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Knobel, Darryn L. |
|
dc.contributor.author |
Richards, Allen L. |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2014-12-03T06:24:18Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2014-12-03T06:24:18Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2014 |
|
dc.identifier.citation |
Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. October 2014, 14(10): 693-702 |
en_US |
dc.identifier.uri |
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/vbz.2014.1578 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/292 |
|
dc.description |
doi:10.1089/vbz.2014.1578. |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
Tick-borne spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are emerging human diseases caused by obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. Despite being important causes of systemic febrile illnesses in travelers returning from sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about the reservoir hosts of these pathogens. We conducted surveys for rickettsiae in domestic animals and ticks in a rural setting in western Kenya. Of the 100 serum specimens tested from each species of domestic ruminant 43% of goats, 23% of sheep, and 1% of cattle had immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to the SFG rickettsiae. None of these sera were positive for IgG against typhus group rickettsiae. We detected Rickettsia africae–genotype DNA in 92.6% of adult Amblyomma variegatum ticks collected from domestic ruminants, but found no evidence of the pathogen in blood specimens from cattle, goats, or sheep. Sequencing of a subset of 21 rickettsia-positive ticks revealed R. africae variants in 95.2% (20/21) of ticks tested. Our findings show a high prevalence of R. africae variants in A. variegatum ticks in western Kenya, which may represent a low disease risk for humans. This may provide a possible explanation for the lack of African tick-bite fever cases among febrile patients in Kenya. |
en_US |
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Ambylomma variegatum |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Rickettsia africae |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Tick-borne spotted fever group |
en_US |
dc.subject |
African tick-bite fever. |
en_US |
dc.title |
High prevalence of Rickettsia Africae variants in Amblyomma Variegatum ticks from domestic mammals in rural Western Kenya: implications for human health |
en_US |
dc.type |
Article |
en_US |