title: Improvement in early diagnosis of Japanese spotted fever by using a novel Rick PCR system.
abstract: Rickettsia diseases, including Japanese spotted fever (JSF), are serious infections. Delayed diagnosis occasionally results in life-threatening liver disorders and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Because of the shortness of the latent period, serological diagnosis is not preferable for early diagnosis of JSF. Until now, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnosis method has been used for early diagnosis, and the sensitivity reaches as high as 90% using skin biopsy samples as we previously reported. On the other hand, the sensitivity of the same PCR method using blood samples is limited at less than 50%. In the present study, using peripheral blood samples, we developed a novel diagnostic method for JSF using a Rick PCR system with original PCR primers, showing improved sensitivity compared with the conventional nested PCR. It may constitute a preferable diagnostic tool for early and sensitive diagnosis of Rickettsia infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.affiliation: Mie Prefecture Health and Environment Research Institute, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akachi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Akisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamagiwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Esteban C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gabazza
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizutani
mesh_terms: D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000235:genetics; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Japanese spotted fever; Rick PCR; Rickettsia japonica; diagnosis; infection