Short report: Diagnosis of tick-borne relapsing fever by the quantitative buffy coat fluorescence method.
The quantitative buffy coat (QBC) parasite detection method is a sensitive and specific tool for the diagnosis of malaria parasites. It is also useful for the diagnoses of other hemoparasites, including Trypanosoma, Babesia, and Leptospira. We report a case of relapsing fever diagnosed by this technique in a short-term traveler from Senegal. The diagnosis was confirmed by the standard Giemsa hemoscopy and by the identification of significant titers of antibodies to Borrelia spp. of tick-borne relapsing fevers by specific immunofluorescence and Western blot tests. The QBC technique seems to be useful in the diagnosis of tick-borne relapsing fever in blood samples and should be included in the management of fever in the traveler returning from tropical regions.
Chatel
G
G
Clinic of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of Brescia, Italy.
Gulletta
M
M
Matteelli
A
A
Marangoni
A
A
Signorini
L
L
Oladeji
O
O
Caligaris
S
S
D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001898:Borrelia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D012061:Relapsing Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes