Seroepidemiological study of outdoor recreationists' exposure to spotted fever group rickettsia in Western Australia

Abdad, M.Y., Cook, A., Dyer, J., Stenos, J. and Fenwick, S.G. (2014) Seroepidemiological study of outdoor recreationists' exposure to spotted fever group rickettsia in Western Australia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 91 (3). pp. 584-588.

Abstract

Bushland activity has previously been linked to rickettsial exposure in eastern and central regions of Australia, whereas little is known about the risks in Western Australia. The isolation of Rickettsia gravesii sp. nov. from Amblyomma triguttatum ticks and anecdotal reports of low-grade illness among bush recreationists raised the possibility of rickettsial transmission in the State. This study investigated rickettsial seroprevalence and potential risk of exposure to the spotted fever group rickettsiae in rogainers. Our results showed that rogainers active in the bush had a significantly higher risk of seropositivity (immunofluorescence total antibody titer ≥128) for the spotted fever group Rickettsia (odds ratio [OR] = 14.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38-142.07) compared with a reference population, the overall seroprevalence in the rogainer group being 23.1%.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
Publisher:	American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Copyright:	© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/23838

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