title: Mediterranean spotted fever: clinical, laboratory and epidemiological features of 199 cases.
abstract: Most previous studies of Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) have included cases that either were not laboratory-confirmed or were confirmed by the Weil-Felix test. The authors report the detailed clinical, laboratory and epidemiological features of 199 serologically-confirmed cases of MSF (by microimmunofluorescence). This work demonstrates that the disease is difficult to diagnose, especially at the beginning; that it can be fatal (2.5% of cases); and that a rapid and specific diagnosis is necessary to identify atypical cases. Epidemiological features such as season (summer essentially), presence of a dog, and travel in an endemic area (the Mediterranean Basin) are important in the diagnosis. In such cases fever associated with rash have to be considered and treated as MSF.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D001907:Boutonneuse Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000276:immunology; D012288:Rickettsiaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012621:Seasons; D013754:Tetracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D013754:Tetracyclines