title: Prevalence of antibodies against Simkania negevensis in a healthy Japanese population determined by the microimmunofluorescence test.
abstract: Simkania negevensis has been associated with bronchiolitis in infants and community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Reports of exposure to this microorganism are only available from Israel, North America and Western Europe. Currently, no standard method for diagnosis of S. negevensis infection has been established nor have prevalence rates been shown in Japan. For the first time we demonstrated the ability of the microimmunofluorescence (MIF) test to detect S. negevensis-specific immunoglobulin G and exposure to S. negevensis in Japan. The positive rate in healthy volunteers was 4.3% (25/588), with rates increasing with age. Results indicate the usefulness of the MIF test as a serological method for detecting S. negevensis-specific antibodies. A standard serological test for infection with S. negevensis is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan. tetsuyafujino@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Chikako
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mashida
authors.forename: Kiyotaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawagoe
authors.forename: Motohiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Sadashi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiga
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kurane
authors.forename: Kazunobu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ouchi
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohzeki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002695:Chlamydiales / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G