Kelly P J, Beati L, Matthewman L A, Mason P R, Dasch G A, Raoult D
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zimbabwe, Harare.
J Trop Med Hyg. 1994 Jun;97(3):129-37.
A spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia was isolated in Zimbabwe from a patient with tick-bite, fever, headache and regional lymphadenopathy. A further six isolates were obtained from Amblyomma hebraeum ticks collected in Zimbabwe. These human and tick isolates were indistinguishable from each other, and from an Ethiopian SFG rickettsia, by microimmunofluorescence (MIF), sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blotting and polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP). They were, however, distinguishable from other SFG ricketsiae by MIF serotyping and in the case of the most closely related serotypes, Rickettsia conorii and the Israeli SFG rickettsia, by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. PCR-RFLP failed to distinguish between the Zimbabwean and Israeli SFG rickettsia, though each of these gave different digestion products from R. conorii. The Zimbabwean human and tick isolates and the Ethiopian SFG rickettsiae therefore represent a previously undescribed rickettsial serotype which apparently is pathogenic in human beings. It is proposed that the new serotype be named the agent of African tick-bite fever in order to distinguish it from R. conorii, which until now has been recognized as the only SFG rickettsia to infect man in Africa.
在津巴布韦，从一名有蜱叮咬史、发热、头痛和局部淋巴结病的患者身上分离出一株斑点热群（SFG）立克次体。另外从在津巴布韦采集的希伯来花蜱中又获得了6株分离株。通过微量免疫荧光法（MIF）、十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（SDS-PAGE）、蛋白质印迹法以及聚合酶链反应后进行限制性片段长度多态性分析（PCR-RFLP），这些来自人类和蜱的分离株彼此之间以及与一株埃塞俄比亚SFG立克次体无法区分。然而，通过MIF血清分型，它们可与其他SFG立克次体区分开来；对于关系最为密切的血清型，即康氏立克次体和以色列SFG立克次体，通过SDS-PAGE和蛋白质印迹法也可区分。PCR-RFLP无法区分津巴布韦和以色列的SFG立克次体，不过这两种立克次体各自产生的消化产物与康氏立克次体不同。因此，津巴布韦来自人类和蜱的分离株以及埃塞俄比亚SFG立克次体代表了一种此前未被描述的立克次体血清型，显然它对人类具有致病性。建议将这种新血清型命名为非洲蜱咬热病原体，以便将其与康氏立克次体区分开来，康氏立克次体一直以来被认为是非洲唯一能感染人类的SFG立克次体。
