title: Rickettsia felis: The Complex Journey of an Emergent Human Pathogen.
abstract: Rickettsia felis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that is different from other officially recognized rickettsial species. It has multiple genes of different origins, an incubation temperature of less than 32°C, and a conjugative plasmid. This Rickettsia is commonly detected in febrile patients in sub-Saharan Africa. R. felis is frequently detected in cat fleas, but recently mosquitoes have been suspected to be able to transmit the bacterium. However, many aspects of the ecology and epidemiology of R. felis are not completely understood and remain to be uncovered. We aim here to give an update of the current knowledge about this fascinating organism.
authors.affiliation: URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Aix Marseille Université, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France. Electronic address: angelotasmanos@msn.com.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Angelakis
authors.affiliation: URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Aix Marseille Université, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mediannikov
authors.affiliation: URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Aix Marseille Université, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parola
authors.affiliation: URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Aix Marseille Université, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D009033:Culicidae / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D041161:Rickettsia felis; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology
keywords: Rickettsia felis; flea-borne spotted fever; rickettsial infections