Evidence of Rickettsia and Orientia Infections Among Abattoir Workers in Djibouti.
Of 49 workers at a Djiboutian abattoir, eight (16%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9-29) were seropositive against spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR), two (4%, 95% CI: 1-14) against typhus group rickettsiae, and three (6%, 95% CI: 2-17) against orientiae. One worker (9%, 95% CI: 2-38) seroconverted against orientiae during the study period. This is the first evidence of orientiae exposure in the Horn of Africa. SFGR were also identified by polymerase chain reaction in 32 of 189 (11%, 95% CI: 8-15) tick pools from 26 of 72 (36%) cattle. Twenty-five (8%, 95% CI: 6-12) tick pools were positive for Rickettsia africae, the causative agent of African tick-bite fever. Health-care providers in Djibouti should be aware of the possibility of rickettsiae infections among patients, although further research is needed to determine the impact of these infections in the country.
Global Disease Detection Regional Center, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt. katherinehorton12@gmail.com.
Katherine C
KC
Horton
Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Ju
J
Jiang
Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Alice
A
Maina
Global Disease Detection Regional Center, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt. Global Disease Detection Branch, Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Erica
E
Dueger
Vector Biology Research Program, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
Alia
A
Zayed
Department of Epidemiology and Health Information, Ministry of Health, Djibouti, Djibouti.
Ammar Abdo
AA
Ahmed
Biological Defense Research Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Guillermo
G
Pimentel
Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Allen L
AL
Richards
D000003:Abattoirs; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D015730:Djibouti / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012285:Orientia tsutsugamushi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D012612:Scrub Typhus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology; D000078329:Workforce
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial