Serologic Evidence of Human Exposure to Ehrlichiosis Agents in Japan

Hongru Su; Kenji Kubo; Shigetoshi Sakabe; Shinsuke Mizuno; Nobuhiro Komiya; Shigehiro Akachi; Hiromi Fujita; Kozue Sato; Hiroki Kawabata; Hiromi Nagaoka; Shuji Ando; Norio Ohashi

doi:10.3201/eid2811.212566

Serologic Evidence of Human Exposure to Ehrlichiosis Agents in Japan

Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Nov;28(11):2355-2357. doi: 10.3201/eid2811.212566.

Authors

Hongru Su, Kenji Kubo, Shigetoshi Sakabe, Shinsuke Mizuno, Nobuhiro Komiya, Shigehiro Akachi, Hiromi Fujita, Kozue Sato, Hiroki Kawabata, Hiromi Nagaoka, Shuji Ando, Norio Ohashi

Abstract

In retrospective analyses, we report 3 febrile patients in Japan who had seroconversion to antibodies against Ehrlichia chaffeensis antigens detected by using an immunofluorescence and Western blot. Our results provide evidence of autochthonous human ehrlichiosis cases and indicate ehrlichiosis should be considered a potential cause of febrile illness in Japan.

Keywords: Ehrlichia sp.; Japan; P28 outer membrane proteins; antibody; bacteria; ehrlichiosis; parasites; seroconversion; vector-borne infections; zoonoses.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Bacterial
Antigens, Bacterial
Ehrlichia
Ehrlichia chaffeensis*
Ehrlichiosis* / epidemiology
Humans
Japan / epidemiology
Retrospective Studies

Substances

Antigens, Bacterial
Antibodies, Bacterial