Dumler J S, Dotevall L, Gustafson R, Granström M
Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
J Infect Dis. 1997 Mar;175(3):720-2. doi: 10.1093/infdis/175.3.720.
Ehrlichioses are emerging infections in the United States. Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) and Lyme borreliosis (LB) are acquired after Ixodes ricinus-complex tick bites. An ongoing seroepidemiologic study of the 185 of the 356 permanent residents of the Koster Islands in Sweden was expanded to include ehrlichioses. Ehrlichial antibodies were measured by IFA using Ehrlichia equi and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. Borrelia burgdorferi IgG ELISA-seropositive subjects were confirmed by Western blot. E. equi and E. chaffeensis antibodies (titer > or = 80) were found in 21 (11.4%) and 2 (1.1%) of 185 samples, respectively. Antibodies to B. burgdorferi were found in 25 (13.5%) of 185. Six persons were seropositive for both HGE and LB. Among data from questionnaires, clinical symptoms, antibiotic treatments, or tick bites were not more frequent in E. equi- or B. burgdorferi-seropositive than -seronegative persons. The seroprevalence of HGE was similar to that of Lyme borreliosis. Prospective studies of European HGE are needed.
埃立克体病在美国属于新发感染病。人粒细胞埃立克体病（HGE）和莱姆病（LB）是在蓖麻硬蜱属蜱叮咬后感染的。瑞典科斯特群岛356名常住居民中有185人的一项正在进行的血清流行病学研究扩大到纳入埃立克体病。使用马埃立克体和恰菲埃立克体通过间接荧光抗体法检测埃立克体抗体。伯氏疏螺旋体IgG酶联免疫吸附试验血清反应阳性的受试者通过免疫印迹法进行确认。在185份样本中，分别有21份（11.4%）和2份（1.1%）检测到马埃立克体和恰菲埃立克体抗体（滴度≥80）。在185人中，有25人（13.5%）检测到伯氏疏螺旋体抗体。6人同时对HGE和LB血清反应阳性。在问卷调查的数据中，马埃立克体或伯氏疏螺旋体血清反应阳性者的临床症状、抗生素治疗或蜱叮咬情况并不比血清反应阴性者更常见。HGE的血清流行率与莱姆病相似。需要对欧洲的HGE进行前瞻性研究。
