Sammanfattning
Introduction: The aim of the study was to describe the clinical signs of rickettsiosis and the results of a series of serological investigations in seven Danish patients. Materials and methods: Patients with clinical rickettsial disease, who were admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, Marselisborg Hospital, Denmark, in the period 1996-1999, who were tested with the Weil-Felix test (agglutination with Proteus antigens) and extended serological tests for Rickettsia spp. antibodies by immunofluorescence. Results: Seven patients were included in this study. All of them had been on safari in South Africa. The patients suffered from fever, myalgia, regional lymphadenopathy and a typical eschar due to tick bite. The Weil-Felix test was negative in all patients in both the acute and the recuperation phases. Antibodies to Rickettsia spp. tested by immunofluorescence were detected in only three patients during the recuperation period. Discussion: African tick-bite fever is often diagnosed after journeys to the southern part of Africa in recently returned travellers suffering from symptoms of fever and malaise. The diagnosis of rickettsiosis should be based primarily on the clinical picture. In roughly half the cases, the diagnosis can be verified by seroconversion and extended serological testing in the recuperation period. The prognosis is good.