Table. Characteristics and results of microscopic and molecular analyses of patients with typhus during World War II, Hamburg, Germany, 1940–1944*.
| Patient no. | Age, y/sex | Brain region | Frequency of typhus nodules | β-actin qPCR, Ct, round 1/2/3† | Rickettsia typhi-specific nested prsA qPCR, Ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U/U | Medulla | + | 37.2/–/44.5 | – |
|
|
|
Pons |
+++ |
–/–/35.7 |
– |
| 2 | U/U | Cerebellum | + | 39.1/37.3/39.6 | – |
| Pons | ++ | 37.1/34.7/37.2 | – | ||
|
|
|
Cortex |
++ |
35.3/33.3/38.1 |
– |
| 3 | U/U | Pons | ++ | 37.3/–/38.1 | 23.8 |
|
|
|
Cortex |
+ |
35.1/–/37.7 |
– |
| 4 | U/U | Medulla | +++ | –/–/42.5 | – |
|
|
|
Pons |
+ |
37.8/–/35.4 |
– |
| 5 | U/M | Pons | ++ | –/35.9/– | – |
|
|
|
Pons |
+ |
31.0/–/– |
32.4 |
| 6 |
U/U |
Medulla |
+ |
36.9/–/– |
– |
| 7 | 29/F | Cerebellum | + | 40.0/35.1/– | – |
*Ct, cycle threshold; qPCR, quantitative PCR; U, unknown; +, ++, +++, semiquantitative microscopic measurements (+, low; ++, medium; +++, high); –, negative result. †From each brain region block, three 5-µm tissue sections were used for each round (n = 3) of extraction and amplification. The β-actin qPCR Ct of the respective round from which successful R. typhi DNA amplification was achieved is bolded.