title: Rickettsia conorii in humans and dogs: a seroepidemiologic survey of two rural villages in Israel.
abstract: The prevalence of IgG-antibodies reactive with an Israeli strain of Rickettsia conorii (Israeli strain 487), the agent of Israeli spotted fever, was examined in humans and dogs from two rural villages in Israel where the disease has been reported in humans. Sixty-nine of 85 (81%) canine sera and 14 of 136 (10%) of human sera had anti-R. conorii antibodies. No direct association could be made between seropositivity of people and ownership of a seropositive dog. This study indicates that exposure to spotted fever group rickettsiae was highly prevalent among dogs compared with humans in the two villages examined, probably reflecting a greater exposure rate of canines to the tick vector. These results support a previous suggestion that canine serology could be a sensitive indicator for the presence and magnitude of human exposure to R. conorii.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Shimon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrus
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lior
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ephros
authors.forename: Galia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grisaru-Soen
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keysary
authors.forename: Carmella
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strenger
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jongejan
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waner
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001907:Boutonneuse Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D020114:Rickettsia conorii / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G