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. 2014 Nov;91(5):1015-9.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0629. Epub 2014 Sep 8.

Molecular identification of pathogenic bacteria in eschars from acute febrile patients, Senegal

Oleg Mediannikov  1 , Cristina Socolovschi  1 , Matthieu Million  1 , Cheikh Sokhna  1 , Hubert Bassene  1 , Georges Diatta  1 , Florence Fenollar  1 , Didier Raoult  2
Affiliations

Molecular identification of pathogenic bacteria in eschars from acute febrile patients, Senegal

Oleg Mediannikov et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2014 Nov.

Abstract

Fever caused by Rickettsia felis was recently shown to play an important role in infectious diseases morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. We collected 68 cotton swabs from fever-associated eschars in four different regions of Senegal. In 5 of 68 eschar samples (7.4%), we have identified DNA from R. felis. In 49 of 68 eschar samples (72.1%), we have identified DNA from Staphylococcus aureus. In 35 of 68 eschar samples (51.5%), we have identified DNA from Streptococcus pyogenes, and in 4 of 68 eschar samples (5.9%), we have identified DNA from Streptococcus pneumoniae. In 34 cases, S. aureus was found together with S. pyogenes. DNA from R. felis was also found in swabs from the skin of the healthy Senegalese villagers (3 of 60; 5%) but not French urbanites. The presence of S. aureus and S. pyogenes was significantly associated with the presence of eschars in febrile patients compared with the healthy skin from the control group. Finally, we confirmed that Senegal is an endemic region for R. felis, which is found in both eschars and healthy skin swabs.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Eschars sampled in this study. (A) Positive for S. aureus and S. pyogenes. (B) Positive for S. pneumoniae. (C) Positive for R. felis. (D) Positive for S. pyogenes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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