title: Diagnosis of acute typhus infection using the polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of an acute rickettsial infection. A primer pair derived from the 17-kDa antigen sequence of Rickettsia rickettsii amplified specifically a 434-bp DNA fragment from the genome of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and endemic and epidemic typhus. The assay was able to detect as few as 30 rickettsiae. Detection of PCR-amplified DNA with a digoxigenin-labeled DNA probe confirmed an acute human infection with Rickettsia prowazekii.
authors.affiliation: Naval Medical Research Institute, Naval Medical Command, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-5055.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carl
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tibbs
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dobson
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Paparello
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dasch
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014438:Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial