title: The laboratory diagnosis of rickettsial diseases in Hong Kong.
abstract: 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 patient's illness. IP tests confirmed four cases of spotted fever group rickettsial infection, three cases of urban or murine typhus and two of scrub typhus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bassett
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011511:Proteus / Q000276:immunology; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000276:immunology; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007075:Immunoglobulin M