AUTHOR=Teng Zhongqiu , Zhao Na , Ren Ruotong , Zhang Xue , Du Zhenshan , Wang Pengfei , Qin Tian 

TITLE=Human Rickettsia felis infections in Mainland China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.997315

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2022.997315

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>We identified four flea-borne spotted fever cases caused by <italic>Rickettsia felis</italic> in a retrospective survey of 182 patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO) in China between 2021 and 2022. The clinical signs and symptoms of the patients were similar to those of other rickettsioses, including fever, rash, and liver and kidney dysfunction. All four patients in the present study developed pneumonia or lung lesions after <italic>R. felis</italic> infection. The cases of <italic>R. felis</italic> infection, a neglected infectious disease, were sporadic in multiple provinces of the country. The high prevalence (2.14%, 4/187) of <italic>R. felis</italic> among patients with FUO highlights the risk posed by this pathogen to public health in China.</p>