@article {47455, title = {Lice infestation and lice control remedies in the ukraine}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {1078}, year = {2006}, month = {2006}, pages = {357 - 360}, abstract = {

A permanent decrease was seen in the prevalence of lice infestation among population of the Ukraine from 1990-2004. The prevalence of lice infestation among children under 14 years of age was 6-27 times more than that in adults. The highest figures were among children 7-14 years old. During all of the observation period there were changing tendencies relative to the groups. The greatest number of cases of infection with lice were noted in the months when the control inspections of children in education institutions were performed.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1374.070 }, url = {https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1196/annals.1374.070}, author = {Kurhanova,I.} } @article {47456, title = {Arthropod-borne diseases in homeless}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {1078}, year = {2006}, month = {2006}, pages = {223 - 235}, abstract = {Homeless people are particularly exposed to ectoparasite. The living conditions and the crowded shelters provide ideal conditions for the spread of lice, fleas, ticks, and mites. Body lice have long been recognized as human parasites and although typically prevalent in rural communities in upland areas of countries close to the equator, it is now increasingly encountered in developed countries especially in homeless people or inner city economically deprived population. Fleas are widespread but are not adapted to a specific host and may occasionally bite humans. Most common fleas that parasite humans are the cat, the rat, and the human fleas, Ctenocephalides felis, Xenopsylla cheopis, and Pulex irritans, respectively. Ticks belonging to the family Ixodidae, in particular, the genera Dermacentor, Rhipicephalus, and Ixodes, are frequent parasites in humans. Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis is a mite (Arachnida class) responsible for scabies. It is an obligate parasite of human skin. The hematophagic-biting mite, Liponyssoides sanguineus, is a mite of the rat, mouse, and other domestic rodents but can also bite humans. Finally, the incidence of skin disease secondary to infestation with the human bedbug, Cimex lectularius, has increased recently. Bacteria, such as Wolbacchia spp. have been detected in bedbug. The threat posed by the ectoparasite in homeless is not the ectoparasite themselves but the associated infectious diseases that they may transmit to humans. Except for scabies all these ectoparasites are potential vectors for infectious agents. Three louse-borne diseases are known at this time. Trench fever caused by Bartonella quintana (B. quintana), epidemic typhus caused by Rickettsia prowazekii, and relapsing fever caused by the spirochete Borrelia recurrentis. Fleas transmit plague (Xenopsylla cheopis and Pulex irritans), murine typhus (Xenopsylla cheopis), flea-borne spotted rickettsiosis on account of the recently described species Rickettsia felis (C. felis), and occasionally cat scratch disease on account of Bartonella henselae (C. felis). The role of fleas as potential vector of B. quintana has recently been suggested. Among the hematophagic-biting mites, L. sanguineus, is responsible for the transmission of Rickettsia akari, the etiologic agent of rickettsialpox. Virtually, no data are available on tick-borne disease in this population. This article will deal with epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of these ectoparasite and the infectious diseases they transmit to the homeless people.}, author = {Brouqui,Philippe and Didier Raoult} } @article {47457, title = {Epidemiology of rickettsioses in north Africa}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {1078}, year = {2006}, month = {2006}, pages = {34 - 41}, abstract = {The first description of Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) was made by Conor and Brush in 1910 in Tunisia, where, at the same time, Nicolle described the role of lice in transmission of epidemic typhus. However, along this century, there have been few and fragmentary reports about ecology and epidemiology of rickettsioses in North Africa. This region was always considered, for these diseases, like other Mediterranean regions. The most human tick-borne rickettsiosis known to occur in North Africa is MSF caused by R. conorii and transmitted by the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Recent studies showed that other arthropode-transmitted rickettsiae are prevalent in North Africa: R. aeschlimannii, R. massiliae, and R. felis. Moreover, R. felis and R. aeschlimannii human infection were respectively confirmed, by serology in Tunisia, and by PCR in Morocco. The seroprevalence of R. conorii among healthy population was ranging from 5\% to 8\% in most of the countries. Epidemiological and clinical features are frequently resumed in an eruptive fever with eschar occurring in hot season in rural areas. Typhus group rickettsioses, caused by R. typhi and R. prowazekii are less frequently reported than in the 1970s. Seroprevalence of R. typhi among blood donors was from 0.5\% to 4\%. In Algeria about 2\% of febrile patients had R. prowazekii antibodies. Moreover, reemerging threat of epidemic typhus should be considered, after the two cases recently diagnosed in the highlands of Algeria. Murine typhus, considered as "benign" typhus, is underestimated. When R. typhi was inserted in serologic tests, murine typhus became more frequently confirmed. In a recent study in Central Tunisia, we confirmed an emergence of murine typhus mistaken for R. conorii or viral infection. In addition to typhus surveillance, future studies have to determine which spotted fever group rickettsiae are prevalent in vectors and in human pathology.}, author = {Letaief,Amel} } @article {47454, title = {Validation of a Rickettsia prowazekii-Specific Quantitative Real-Time PCR Cassette and DNA Extraction Protocols Using Experimentally Infected Lice}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {1078}, year = {2006}, month = {2006}, pages = {617 - 619}, abstract = {

The presence of R. prowazekii in lice using R. prowazekii-specific qPCR cassettes showed the changes of the rickettsial burden in the lice post-infection.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1374.036}, url = {https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1196/annals.1374.036}, author = {Rozmajzl,Patrick J. and Houhamdi,Linda and Jiang,Ju and Didier Raoult and Richards,Allen L.} } @article {46760, title = {Modification of antityphus antibodies on passage through the gut of the human body louse with discussion of some epidemiologic and evolutionary implications}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {266}, year = {1975}, note = {LR: 20041117; JID: 7506858; 0 (Antibodies, Bacterial); 0 (Immunoglobulin A); 0 (Immunoglobulin G); 0 (Immunoglobulin M); 0 (Immunoglobulins, Fab); 0 (Immunoglobulins, Fc); ppublish}, month = {1975}, pages = {6 - 24}, address = {UNITED STATES}, abstract = {Evidence is presented to indicate that proteolytic and perhaps other enzymes of the louse midgut, essential to the nutrition of the louse, perform molecular dissection on the antirickettsial antibodies present in the blood of a typhus-immune host that selectively destroys, along with other functions, the portion of the antibody that determines the only known function by which antirickettsial antibodies may operate in host defense mechanisms, namely, opsonization of rickettsiae for enhanced ingestion by professional phagocytes and subsequent destruction. The epidemiologic significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the progressive destruction of cells that produce digestive enzymes of the louse midgut that occurs with progressive rickettsial infection, and the possibility of a negative feedback mechanism in transmission is introduced. Speculations that involve evolutionary concepts of both convergent and divergent varieties with respect to rickettsiae, potentially operational in a system that consists of an obligate blood-sucking arthropod vector and a vertebrate host capable of adaptive responses to both vector and rickettsial agent, are presented.}, keywords = {animals, Antibodies, Bacterial/metabolism, Feces/immunology, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, humans, immunization, Immunodiffusion, Immunoelectrophoresis, immunoglobulin, Pediculus, Research Support, U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t, P.H.S., Rickettsia prowazekii/immunology, typhus}, isbn = {0077-8923}, author = {Wisseman,Charles L., Jr. and Boese,J. L. and Waddell,A. D. and Silverman,D. J.} } @article {45994, title = {Detection of Rickettsia felis and R. typhi in fleas using monoclonal antibodies}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {990}, year = {2003}, note = {LR: 20031114; JID: 7506858; 0 (Antibodies, Bacterial); 0 (Antibodies, Monoclonal); 0 (Antigens, Bacterial); ppublish}, month = {2003}, pages = {213 - 220}, address = {United States}, abstract = {

Rickettsia typhi and R. felis are flea-transmitted human pathogenic rickettsial species. To investigate the distributional dynamics of these rickettsiae we designed a micro-immunofluorescence assay (MIF) using species-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) applied to flea cryosections. Our assay was performed in less than 3 h and its applicability was demonstrated by the detection of R. typhi in 50 artificially infected human body lice but in none of 50 uninfected lice. With MIF, we identified 31 positive among 32 fleas proven with PCR to be naturally infected with R. felis; and 7 positive among 32 fleas proven with PCR to be naturally infected with R. typhi. No cross-detection was observed with both MAbs. Fresh R. felis-infected fleas were significantly more MIF-positive than long conserved R. typhi-infected fleas (31/32 vs. 7/32, P \< 0.01). This discrepancy may be linked to degradation of antigens by long-term freezing. For R. typhi-infected fleas, our assay was significantly more efficient when applied to fleas in early stages of infection (less than 15 days) by comparison with fleas frozen more than 20 days after infection (7/15 vs. 0/17, P = 0.01). This difference may be related to an antigenic modification caused by selection pressure in the vector and host process. The sensitivity of the described method did not exceed 47\% (7/15) for R. typhi but, in contrast, was 97\% for R. felis. Thus, our method appears to be useful for surveillance in R. felis infections, but requires further studies for the detection of R. typhi.

}, keywords = {animals, Antibodies, Bacterial, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Antigens, Bacterial/immunology, Fleas/microbiology, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Lice/microbiology, Mice/microbiology, polymerase, Rickettsia felis/genetics/immunology/isolation \& purification, Rickettsia typhi/genetics/immunology/isolation \& purification}, isbn = {0077-8923}, author = {Fang,R. and Pierre-Edouard Fournier and Houhamdi,Linda and Azad,A. F. and Didier Raoult} } @article {45993, title = {Real-time PCR duplex assay for Rickettsia prowazekii and Borrelia recurrentis}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {990}, year = {2003}, note = {LR: 20041117; JID: 7506858; 0 (DNA Primers); 0 (DNA, Bacterial); ppublish}, month = {2003}, pages = {302 - 310}, address = {United States}, abstract = {

Rickettsia prowazekii, the etiologic agent for epidemic typhus, and Borrelia recurrentis, the etiologic agent of relapsing fever, both utilize the same vector, the human body louse (Pediculus humanus), to transmit human disease. We have developed an assay to detect both bacterial pathogens in a single tube utilizing real-time PCR. Assays for both agents are specific. The R. prowazekii and B. recurrentis assays do not detect nucleic acid from R. typhi, R. canada, or any of eight spotted fever rickettsiae. In addition they did not react with Neorickettsia risticii, N. sennetsu, Franciscella persica, Bartonella quintana, Legionella pneumophila, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, the B. recurrentis assay did not detect B. duttonii, B. coriaceae, B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. hermsii, or B. burgdorferi nucleic acid. Both assays detected repeatedly only R. prowazekii or B. recurrentis either when tested alone or together in one test tube.

}, keywords = {animals, Base Sequence, Borrelia, Comparative Study, dna, genes, humans, Lice/microbiology, polymerase, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t, Rickettsia prowazekii/classification/genetics/isolation \& purification}, isbn = {0077-8923}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb07380.x}, url = {https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb07380.x}, author = {Jiang,Ju and Temenak,J. J. and Richards,Allen L.} } @article {45991, title = {An experimental model of human body louse infection with Rickettsia typhi}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {990}, year = {2003}, note = {LR: 20041117; JID: 7506858; ppublish}, month = {2003}, pages = {617 - 627}, address = {United States}, abstract = {

Murine (endemic) typhus caused by Rickettsia typhi, one of the most widely distributed arthropod-borne diseases, is transmitted to humans mainly by the oriental rat flea. The human body louse, Pediculus humanus corporis, has been suspected to have a role in the transmission of R. typhi to humans. To evaluate the potential role of Pediculus humanus corporis as a vector of murine typhus, we used R. typhi in an experimental model of human body louse infection previously used with R. prowazekii. A rabbit was made bacteremic by inoculating it with 2 x 10(6) plaque-forming units of R. typhi; it remained bacteremic for at least 59 hours. Two hundred body lice infected by feeding on the bacteremic rabbit were compared to 200 uninfected control lice. Each louse population was fed once a day on the abdomen of a seronegative rabbit. On day 8 post-infection, as a result of disruption of the gut cells and leakage of the blood meal into the hemolymph, four infected lice became bright red and died within four hours. The life span of infected lice was 20 days less than that of the controls. Infected lice did not transmit R. typhi to their progeny (eggs and larvae) as demonstrated by PCR amplification and cell culture. With an immunofluorescence assay, R. typhi was detected in feces from day 7 post-infection, and the organism remained viable in feces for up to 80 days as demonstrated by cell culture. From the 21st day post-infection, the rabbit used to feed the R. typhi-infected lice developed an immunoglobulin response with a titer of 1:50 increasing to 1:200 at the 42nd day post-infection. It showed no clinical signs of infection. The rabbit that was used to feed uninfected lice remained seronegative. Although body lice are not clearly identified vectors of R. typhi, it seems that under certain circumstances they could transmit R. typhi.

}, keywords = {animals, Disease Models, Animal, Feces/microbiology, humans, Lice/microbiology/pathogenicity/physiology, Rabbit, reproduction, Rickettsia typhi/pathogenicity, typhus}, isbn = {0077-8923}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb07436.x}, url = {https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb07436.x}, author = {Houhamdi,Linda and Pierre-Edouard Fournier and Fang,R. and Didier Raoult} } @article {45992, title = {Experimental infection of human erythrocytes from alcoholic patients with Bartonella quintana}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {990}, year = {2003}, note = {LR: 20041117; JID: 7506858; 0 (DNA, Bacterial); ppublish}, month = {2003}, pages = {605 - 611}, address = {United States}, abstract = {

Bartonella spp. are found in the erythrocytes of their specific natural hosts and B. quintana bacteremia is associated epidemiologically with lice, alcoholism, and homelessness. The aim of our study was to compare the growth and the number of bacteria per erythrocyte in vitro in laboratory-infected red blood cells from alcoholic patients versus normal blood donor erythrocytes. Enumeration of bacteria was performed either with plate counting or with a real-time PCR quantitative assay. Number of bacteria per cell was determined using immunofluorescence assay and laser confocal microscopy. Although the number of bacteria after 4 days of incubation was similar in the two groups of erythrocytes, we found that the distribution of bacteria per erythrocyte in the two groups was different. Erythrocytes from alcoholics contain significantly more bacteria per cell than erythrocytes from blood donors. Our results suggest that there is a link between alcoholism and infections of B. quintana that may be due to the macrocytosis of erythrocytes.

}, keywords = {Alcoholism/blood, animals, Bartonella quintana/genetics/growth \& development/pathogenicity, Blood Donors, Comparative Study, dna, homeless, humans, Kinetics, Lice/microbiology, Microscopy, Confocal, polymerase, trench fever}, isbn = {0077-8923}, author = {Jean-Marc Rolain and Arnoux,D. and Parzy,D. and Sampol,J. and Didier Raoult} } @article {45990, title = {Development of Rickettsia prowazekii DNA vaccine: cloning strategies}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {990}, year = {2003}, month = {2003}, pages = {757 - 764}, abstract = {Rickettsia prowazekii, the etiologic agent of louse-borne typhus, is listed as a category B agent under the select agent list of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. R. prowazekii was placed on the select agent list due to its potential to cause epidemic, high mortality in untreated and/or misdiagnosed cases, and ease of spread in vulnerable populations. Historically, R. prowazekii vaccines using crude antigen and/or inactivated rickettsia were partially protective but have been accompanied with undesirable toxic reactions and difficulties in standardization. The availability of the genome sequence of R. prowazekii allowed us to select genes that encode proteins with potential in immuno-protection against this human pathogen. We successfully PCR-amplified a group of genes involved in invasion (invA), cell division (fts), protein secretion (sec gene family), and virulence (ompA and ompB, virB gene family, cap and tlyA and tlyC). The generated PCR products were cloned into the Gateway cloning system and the cloned products will be introduced into Vical VR 1020-DV and VR 1012-DV DNA vaccine plasmids. Twenty-four target genes from R. prowazekii have been PCR amplified, of which fifteen have been introduced into the pENTR/SD/D-TOPO entry cloning vector.}, keywords = {animals, Bacterial Vaccines, Base Sequence, Cloning, Molecular, dna, humans, Lice/microbiology, polymerase, Research Support, U.S. Gov{\textquoteright}t, P.H.S., Rickettsia prowazekii/genetics/immunology, typhus, Vaccines, DNA}, author = {Coker,C. and Majid,M. and Radulovic,S.} } @article {43576, title = {Economic benefits of controlling internal and external parasites in South American camelids}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, volume = {653}, year = {1992}, month = {1992}, pages = {398 - 405}, author = {Windsor,R. S. and Windsor,R. H. S. and Teran,M.} } @article {41672, title = {Virulence of Rickettsia prowazeki for head lice}, journal = {Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences}, year = {1975}, month = {1975}, pages = {25 - 34}, url = {http://www.phthiraptera.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/4808.pdf}, author = {Murray,E. S. and Torrey,S. B.} }