Successful Detection of Unrecognized Rickettsia typhi in Pregnancy Using Cell-Free Next-Generation Sequencing

Irene A Stafford1, Fernando H Centeno2, Mayar Al Mohajer3

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Flea-borne (murine) typhus is caused by Rickettsia typhi. Infection in pregnant women can lead to adverse outcomes when diagnosis and treatment is delayed. We describe how next-generation sequencing (NGS) using the Karius® test was used to rapidly diagnose murine typhus in two pregnant women admitted to a large tertiary care center in Houston, Texas, when all initial testing was nondiagnostic.