Article Category:
Short Report

The Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Spotted Fever Group and Typhus Group Rickettsia Along the Texas–Mexico Border

Frederick M. Cramer Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas;

Search for other papers by Frederick M. Cramer in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Lauren M. Leining Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas;

Search for other papers by Lauren M. Leining in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Timothy A. Erickson Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas;

Search for other papers by Timothy A. Erickson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Josephine Tolan Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas;

Search for other papers by Josephine Tolan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Craig L. Hanis Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas

Search for other papers by Craig L. Hanis in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Eric L. Brown Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas

Search for other papers by Eric L. Brown in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Sarah M. Gunter Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas;

Search for other papers by Sarah M. Gunter in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.24-0528
Volume/Issue:
Volume 112: Issue 5
Page(s):
1116–1119
Restricted access
Get Permissions

ABSTRACT.

Rickettsial pathogens are an endemic and emergent source of disease in Texas, with a historically high rate of transmission along the United States–Mexico border. To better understand the prevalence and risk factors for spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) and typhus group Rickettsia (TGR) along the Texas–Mexico border, we conducted a seroprevalence study of adults residing in Starr County, Texas (N = 616). Plasma samples were screened for IgG reactivity to SFGR and TGR using commercially available ELISA. ELISA-positive samples were confirmed using a dual spot IgG indirect immunofluorescent assay. Seropositivity was defined as having a ≥1:128 titer. Analysis was conducted to assess risk factors associated with seropositivity. A higher seroprevalence of TGR (10.9%) was identified compared with SFGR (4.6%) and Rickettsia unspecified (2.0%). These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that both SFGR and TGR are endemic along the Texas–Mexico border.

Author Notes

Financial support: This project was supported by a grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Authors’ contributions: S. M. Gunter and E. L. Brown provided concept and design; F. M. Cramer, L. M. Leining, and S. M. Gunter wrote manuscript; F. M. Cramer, L. M. Leining, J. Tolan, and S. M. Gunter analyzed and interpreted data; and all authors collected and assembled data, and gave final approval of manuscript.

Current contact information: Frederick M. Cramer, Craig L. Hanis, and Eric L. Brown, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, E-mails: mckae14@yahoo.com, craig.l.hanis@uth.tmc.edu, and eric.l.brown@uth.tmc.edu. Lauren M. Leining, University of Texas Health Science Center, Austin, TX, E-mail: lauren.m.leining@uth.tmc.edu. Timothy A. Erickson, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, E-mail: timerickson@tamu.edu. Josephine Tolan, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, El Paso, TX, E-mail: jcetha@gmail.com. Sarah M. Gunter, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, E-mail: sm22@bcm.edu.

Address correspondence to Sarah M. Gunter, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave., Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: sarah.gunter@bcm.edu
Copyright:
© American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2025
Received:
07 Aug 2024
|
Accepted:
11 Dec 2024
|
Published Online:
11 Mar 2025
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
  • 1.

    Esteve-Gassent MD et al., 2014. Pathogenic landscape of transboundary zoonotic diseases in the Mexico–US border along the Rio Grande.Front Public Health 2: 177.

  • 2.

    Pratt HD, 1958. The changing picture of murine typhus in the United States.Ann NY Acad Sci 70: 516–527.

  • 3.

    Azad AF, Beard CB, 1998. Rickettsial pathogens and their arthropod vectors. Emerg Infect Dis 4: 179–186.

  • 4.

    Murray KO, Evert N, Mayes B, Fonken E, Erickson T, Garcia MN, Sidwa T, 2017. Typhus group rickettsiosis, Texas, United States, 2003–2013. Emerg Infect Dis 23: 645–648.

  • 5.

    CDC, 2019. Annual Reported Cases of Notifiable Diseases, by Region and Reporting Area, United States and U.S. Territories, Excluding Non-U.S. Residents. Available at: https://wonder.cdc.gov/nndss/static/2019/annual/2019-table2p.html. Accessed January 16, 2025.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 6.

    Texas Department of State Health Service, 2023. Texas Notifiable Conditions. Texas Department of State Health Services. Available at: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/notifiable-conditions. Accessed January 16, 2025.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 7.

    Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, 2019. Changes to Public Health Reporting and National Notification for Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (Including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever). Position Statement 19-ID-07. Available at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/conditions/spotted-fever-rickettsiosis/case-definition/2010/. Accessed February 20, 2025.

    • PubMed
    • Export Citation
  • 8.

    Masters EJ, Olson GS, Weiner SJ, Paddock CD, 2003. Rocky Mountain spotted fever: A clinician’s dilemma.Arch Intern Med 163: 769–774.

  • 9.

    Texas Department of State and Health Services, 2009. Flea-Borne Typhus Cases in Texas by County* Reported, 2008–2019. Available at: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/IDCU/disease/typhus/Typhus-2008-2019.pdf. Accessed January 16, 2025.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 10.

    Palacios-Santana R, Wei L, Fernandez-Santos NA, Rodriguez-Perez MA, Uriegas-Camargo S, Mendell NL, Bouyer DH, Estrada-Franco JG, 2023. Spotted fever and typhus group rickettsiae in dogs and humans, Mexico, 2022. Emerg Infect Dis 29: 1443–1446.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 11.

    Anstead GM, 2020. History, rats, fleas, and opossums. II. The decline and resurgence of flea-borne typhus in the United States, 1945–2019.Trop Med Infect Dis 6: 2.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 12.

    Taylor JP, Betz TG, Rawlings JA, 1986. Epidemiology of murine typhus in Texas: 1980 through 1984. JAMA 255: 2173–2176.

  • 13.

    Howard A, Fergie J, 2018. Murine typhus in South Texas children: An 18-year review. Pediatr Infect Dis J 37: 1071–1076.

  • 14.

    Purcell K, Fergie J, Richman K, Rocha L, 2007. Murine typhus in children, South Texas. Emerg Infect Dis 13: 926–927.

  • 15.

    Blanton LS, Caravedo Martinez MA, Mendell N, Villasante-Tezanos A, Walker DH, Bouyer D, 2023. Increased seroprevalence of typhus group rickettsiosis, Galveston County, Texas, United States. Emerg Infect Dis 29: 212–214.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 16.

    Cragun WC et al., 2010. The expanding spectrum of eschar-associated rickettsioses in the United States.Arch Dermatol 146: 641–648.

  • 17.

    Scott Dahlgren F, Paddock CD, Springer YP, Eisen RJ, Behravesh CB, 2016. Expanding range of Amblyomma americanum and simultaneous changes in the epidemiology of spotted fever group rickettsiosis in the United States. Am J Trop Med Hyg 94: 35–42.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 18.

    Alcantara VE, Gallardo EG, Hong C, Walker DH, 2004. Typhus group rickettsiae antibodies in rural Mexico. Emerg Infect Dis 10: 549–551.

  • 19.

    Schriefer ME, Sacci JB, Dumler JS, Bullen MG, Azad AF, 1994. Identification of a novel rickettsial infection in a patient diagnosed with murine typhus. J Clin Microbiol 32: 949–954.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 20.

    Medina-Sanchez A, Bouyer DH, Alcantara-Rodriguez V, Mafra C, Zavala-Castro J, Whitworth T, Popov VL, Fernandez-Salas I, Walker DH, 2005. Detection of a typhus group Rickettsia in Amblyomma ticks in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.Ann NY Acad Sci 1063: 327–332.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 21.

    Keysary A, Strenger C, 1997. Use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques with cross-reacting human sera in diagnosis of murine typhus and spotted fever. J Clin Microbiol 35: 1034–1035.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 22.

    Forshey BM et al., 2010. Epidemiology of spotted fever group and typhus group rickettsial infection in the Amazon Basin of Peru. Am J Trop Med Hyg 82: 683–690.

Past two years Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1334 1334 1000
Full Text Views 33 33 16
PDF Downloads 39 39 20
 

 

 

 
 
Affiliate Membership Banner
 
 
Research for Health Information Banner
 
 
CLOCKSS
 
 
 
Society Publishers Coalition Banner
Save