title: Sennetsu neorickettsiosis: a probable fish-borne cause of fever rediscovered in Laos.
abstract: Neorickettsia sennetsu has been described from Japan and Malaysia, causing a largely forgotten infectious mononucleosis-like disease. Because it is believed to be contracted from eating raw fish, frequently consumed in the Lao PDR, we looked for evidence of N. sennetsu among Lao patients and fish. A buffy coat from 1 of 91 patients with undifferentiated fever was positive by 16S rRNA amplification and sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reactions (PCR) targeting two N. sennetsu genes. Lao blood donors and patients with fever, hepatitis, or jaundice (N = 1,132) had a high prevalence (17%) of immunofluorescence assay IgG anti-N. sennetsu antibodies compared with 4% and 0% from febrile patients (N = 848) in Thailand and Malaysia, respectively. We found N. sennetsu DNA by PCR, for the first time, in a fish (Anabas testudineus). These data suggest that sennetsu may be an under-recognized cause of fever and are consistent with the hypothesis that it may be contracted from eating raw fish.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust-Mahosot Hospital-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Collaboration, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR. paul@tropmedres.ac
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rolain
authors.forename: Bouachanh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rasachak
authors.forename: Mayfong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayxay
authors.forename: Khamtanh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vathanatham
authors.forename: Piseth
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seng
authors.forename: Rattanaphone
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Phetsouvanh
authors.forename: Te
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thammavong
authors.forename: Jamaayah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zahidi
authors.forename: Yupin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suputtamongkol
authors.forename: Bounkong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Syhavong
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000711:Anaplasmataceae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001782:Blood Donors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000382:microbiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000382:microbiology*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007812:Laos / Q000453:epidemiology; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D041101:Neorickettsia sennetsu / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D017747:Seafood / Q000382:microbiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents