Delayed correlation between the incidence rate of indigenous murine typhus in humans and the seropositive rate of Rickettsia typhi infection in small mammals in Taiwan from 2007-2019.

ABSTRACT: Murine typhus is a flea-borne zoonotic disease with acute febrile illness caused by Rickettsia typhi and is distributed widely throughout the world, particularly in port cities and coastal regions. We observed that murine typhus was an endemic disease (number of annual indigenous cases = 29.23±8.76) with a low incidence rate (0.13±2.03*10-4 per 100,000 person-years) in Taiwan from 2007-2019. Most (45.79%, 174/380) indigenous infections were reported in May, June, and July. The incidence rates in both May and June were statistically higher than those in other months (p<0.05). Correspondingly, sera collected from small mammals (rodents and shrews) trapped in airports and harbors demonstrated anti-R. typhi antibody responses (seropositive rate = 8.24±0.33%). Interestingly, the ports with the

SUBMITTER: Chiang PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9071160 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature