Ruiz-Beltrán R, Herrero-Herrero J I, Martín-Sánchez A M, Martín-González J A
Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Salamanca, Spain.
Eur J Epidemiol. 1990 Sep;6(3):293-9. doi: 10.1007/BF00150435.
The Salamanca Province of Spain is an endemic zone for Mediterranean spotted fever. In this area, only one case of Q fever has been reported and typhus group rickettsial diseases have never been diagnosed. To obtain a panoramic view of the presence of antibodies to the most ubiquitous rickettsial agents, 400 sera specimens from a statistically representative sample of the human population of Salamanca City and its surrounding province were subjected to indirect microimmunofluorescent test for antibodies against Rickettsia conorii, Coxiella burnetti, phase II, and Rickettsia typhi antigens. Titers greater than or equal to 1:40 to R. conorii were found in 73.5% of the sera. Positivity was more common in subjects who reported closer contact with the natural environment and/or with domestic animals. Seropositivity to C. burnetti, phase II, was detected in 50.2% of sera. These positive cases were related to rural environmental factors and to previous contact with animals. The frequency of antibodies increased with age showing a progressive exposure to the rickettsial antigen. The prevalence of antibodies to R. conorii and C. burnetii in the human population of Salamanca Province is higher than that reported from any other geographic zone. The study of antibodies to R. typhi showed that 12.5% of the sera had titers greater than or equal to 1:40. According to our results, seropositivity to this rickettsial antigen cannot be related to any particular group of population nor interpreted totally as cross reactivity with R. conorii. Our data show a wide distribution of R. conorii and C. burnetii antigens in Salamanca Province, and also indicate the presence of R. typhi antigens in this area.
西班牙的萨拉曼卡省是地中海斑疹热的地方病区。在该地区，仅报告过1例Q热病例，且从未诊断出斑疹伤寒群立克次体病。为全面了解最常见立克次体病原体抗体的存在情况，对来自萨拉曼卡市及其周边省份具有统计学代表性的400份人群血清样本进行了间接微量免疫荧光试验，检测针对康氏立克次体、贝纳柯克斯体II相和斑疹伤寒立克次体抗原的抗体。73.5%的血清样本中针对康氏立克次体的滴度大于或等于1:40。在报告与自然环境和/或家畜有更密切接触的人群中，阳性更为常见。50.2%的血清样本检测到针对贝纳柯克斯体II相的血清阳性。这些阳性病例与农村环境因素以及先前与动物的接触有关。抗体频率随年龄增加，表明对立克次体抗原的接触逐渐增加。萨拉曼卡省人群中针对康氏立克次体和贝纳柯克斯体的抗体流行率高于其他任何地理区域报告的水平。对斑疹伤寒立克次体抗体的研究表明，12.5%的血清样本滴度大于或等于1:40。根据我们的结果，针对这种立克次体抗原的血清阳性与任何特定人群组均无关联，也不能完全解释为与康氏立克次体的交叉反应。我们的数据显示康氏立克次体和贝纳柯克斯体抗原在萨拉曼卡省广泛分布，同时也表明该地区存在斑疹伤寒立克次体抗原。
