Multiplex Real-Time PCR to Diagnose Rickettsial Disease from Skin Biopsies

Testing of formalin-fixed skin-biopsy specimens from 31 patients with confirmed or suspected cases revealed a specific Rickettsia; in only one case did it differ from the clinical diagnosis.

In the U.S., the diseases most often caused by spotted-fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) species are Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF; Rickettsia rickettsii), rickettsialpox (R. akari), and R. parkeri rickettsiosis. Inoculation eschars are common with rickettsialpox and R. parkeri rickettsiosis, and each disease has its own geographic predominance. However, confirming and distinguishing among these infections can be difficult based on clinical and epidemiological evidence alone.

In a recent study, multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers directed against these three organisms was performed on DNA extracted from 31 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin-biopsy samples submitted between 2001 and 2013 to the Infectious Di…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Multiplex Real-Time PCR to Diagnose Rickettsial Disease from Skin Biopsies

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Reviewing Author