Enzyme secretion by human endothelial cells infected with Rickettsia conorii

When cultured endothelial cells from the human umbilical vein were infected with rickettsia conorii, a greater increase was noticed in the inhibitor of plasminogen activator than in tissue type plasminogen activator. This could be linked to clinical observation of coagulation abnormalities in Boutonneuse fever (BF). Otherwise, transaminase levels increased significantly in the supernatant of R. conorii infected endothelial cells which could explain the increased levels of these enzyme in BF.