Emerging rickettsioses of the Thai-Myanmar border

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 26, 2026

An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines
07:18

An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines

Published on: October 11, 2022

Philippe Parola1, R Scott Miller, Philip McDaniel

  • 1Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|May 10, 2003
PubMed

Insights

This study investigated rickettsioses in Thai-Myanmar border residents. Murine typhus, scrub typhus, and spotted fever group rickettsioses were detected, including a novel Rickettsia felis case in Asia.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Tropical Medicine
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Rickettsioses are a group of tick- and flea-borne bacterial diseases.
  • Limited data exists on rickettsial infections along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of rickettsioses in febrile patients residing in the central Thai-Myanmar border region.
  • To identify specific rickettsial pathogens circulating in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Blood samples were collected from 46 patients presenting with fever.
  • Diagnostic methods were employed to detect various rickettsial infections.

Main Results:

  • Four cases of murine typhus were identified.
  • Three cases of scrub typhus were diagnosed.
  • Eight cases of spotted fever group rickettsioses were confirmed.
  • The first documented case of Rickettsia felis infection in Asia was reported.

Conclusions:

  • Rickettsial infections are present in the studied population.
  • The findings highlight the need for increased awareness and diagnostics for rickettsioses in this region.
  • The identification of Rickettsia felis expands the known geographic distribution of this pathogen.

More Related Videos

Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)03:22

Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

Published on: October 31, 2025

Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing07:21

Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing

Published on: August 25, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever01:26

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a severe tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium. This pathogen is an obligate intracellular parasite, requiring a host cell for replication. Transmission occurs through the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, the most important vectors are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick), though other tick species may also serve as vectors.
Arboviral Encephalitis01:25

Arboviral Encephalitis

Arboviral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation caused by arthropod-borne viruses, particularly those transmitted through mosquito vectors. Among these, West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a significant public health concern. WNV is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Human infection typically begins when an infected mosquito introduces the virus into the dermis during feeding. The primary transmission cycle involves birds as amplifying hosts...
Rabies01:28

Rabies

Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae. Its primary mode of transmission to humans is through bites or saliva-contaminated scratches from infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, or foxes. Transmission can also occur if infectious saliva contacts abraded skin or intact mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva.Viral Entry and Early ReplicationOnce introduced at the bite or scratch...
Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae01:29

Bacterial Phylum Chlamydiae

The phylum Chlamydiae or Chlamydiota is composed of a single order, Chlamydiales. This phylum consists entirely of obligate intracellular parasites that infect eukaryotic hosts. While human pathogens within this group have been studied extensively, the phylum encompasses many species capable of interacting with various eukaryotic organisms. Members of Chlamydiae are typically small cocci, approximately 0.5 μm in diameter, and exhibit a distinctive developmental cycle. As is characteristic of...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes01:30

Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes

Spirochetes, unique bacteria in the phylum Spirochaetes, are gram-negative, motile, tightly coiled, slender, and flexible. They inhabit aquatic sediments and animals, with some causing diseases like syphilis. Spirochetes are classified into eight genera based on habitat, pathogenicity, phylogeny, and characteristics.Their distinctive motility arises from endoflagella, located within the cell’s periplasm. These endoflagella anchor at the cell poles and extend along the cell length, encased by a...