Academic Journal
Tickborne Relapsing Fever Diagnosis Obscured by Malaria, Togo
| Title: | Tickborne Relapsing Fever Diagnosis Obscured by Malaria, Togo |
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| Authors: | Annika Nordstrand, Ignas Bunikis, Christer Larsson, Kodjo Tsogbe, Tom G. Schwan, Mikael Nilsson, Sven Bergström |
| Source: | Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 117-117 (2007) |
| Publisher Information: | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007. |
| Publication Year: | 2007 |
| Collection: | LCC:Medicine LCC:Infectious and parasitic diseases |
| Subject Terms: | Malaria, Borrelia, public health, West Africa, diagnostics, antimicrobial drug treatment, Medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216 |
| More Details: | Given the prevalence of relapsing fever (RF) in Senegal, this disease may cause illness and death in other areas of West Africa. We performed a cross-sectional, clinic-based study to investigate the presence of RF in Togo during 2002–2004. Blood samples from patients with fever were examined for RF spirochetes by microscopy, PCR, and DNA sequencing of amplicons and for antibodies to the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase antigen. Although no spirochetes were seen in blood smears, ≈10% of the patients were positive by PCR and ≈13% were seropositive for spirochetes. DNA sequencing demonstrated that Borrelia crocidurae and B. duttonii were present. Most patients were treated for malaria whether or not plasmodia were observed. Thus, many RF patients originally had a misdiagnosis of malaria, which resulted in ineffective treatment. The inability of microscopic analysis to detect spirochetes compared with PCR demonstrates the need for tests with greater sensitivity. |
| Document Type: | article |
| File Description: | electronic resource |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 1080-6040 1080-6059 |
| Relation: | https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/13/1/06-0670_article; https://doaj.org/toc/1080-6040; https://doaj.org/toc/1080-6059 |
| DOI: | 10.3201/eid1301.060670 |
| Access URL: | https://doaj.org/article/2bc7b1038bb14f72bbcacdb23ec60711 |
| Accession Number: | edsdoj.2bc7b1038bb14f72bbcacdb23ec60711 |
| Database: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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| ISSN: | 10806040 10806059 |
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| DOI: | 10.3201/eid1301.060670 |
| Published in: | Emerging Infectious Diseases |
| Language: | English |