engleski

Rickettsiae:Current Knowledge

Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular alpha-proteobacteria. Two genera are recognized in the family Rickettsiaceae, namely Rickettsia and Orientia. The genus Rickettsia has been further subdivided into spotted fever and typhus groups. Gene amplification and sequencing of human and arthropod samples allowed to report many new genotypes of uncultured Rickettsiae. In the last two decades, new rickettsial pathogens have been associated with human illness around the world. Rickettsiae primarily targets the microvascular endothelium throughout the body. Clinically, the common denominator in all rickettsioses is the development of a "leaky" microcirculation leading to the most feared complications, namely vasogenic cerebral edema and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Current diagnostic microbiological tests include culture, PCR and serology, of which only the latter testing method is widely available. Tetracyclines are the drugs-of-choice and should be prescribed whenever a case rickettsial infection is suspected. Preventive measures rely mainly on minimizing the risk of arthropod bites. Over the last 20 years numerous Rickettsiae and Rickettsial diseases were described. In this review, we try to define the current knowledge in this field.

Rickettsiae; intracelular bacteria; vector transmitted diseases

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