Rickettsia slovacaInfection in Humans, Portugal

• DOI: 10.3201/eid1910.130376
• Publication Date: 2013-08-13T12:06:56Z
• Authors: Rita de Sousa; Branca Isabel Per...; Claúdia Nazareth; Susana Cabral; Conceição Ventura; Pedro Crespo; Nuno Marques; Saraiva da Cunha
• Keywords: Adult; DEBONEL; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; 03 medical and health sciences; TIBOLA; 0302 clinical medicine; lymphadenopathy; Chlorocebus aethiops; Animals; Humans; Rickettsia; Vero Cells; Scalp; Portugal; R; Dispatch; facial edema; Rickettsia Infections; Middle Aged; 3. Good health; Tick-Borne Diseases; Rickettsia slovaca; Medicine; Female

Fifteen years after the initial detection of Rickettsia slovaca in ticks in Portugal, 3 autochthonous cases of R. slovaca infection were diagnosed in humans. All patients had an eschar on the scalp and lymphadenopathy; 2 patients had facial edema. R. slovaca infection was confirmed by serologic testing, culture, and PCR.