Skip to main content
. 2021 Mar 2;8:622015. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.622015

Table 4.

Serological and molecular assays utilized in rickettsial investigations by country.

Countries Source of assays* Serologic evidence of rickettsial infections (group-specific assays) Molecular evidence of rickettsiae (genus-, group-, and/or species-specific assays)
Type of assays** Specific assays*** Host samples****
Azerbaijan NMRC ELISAs TGR- and SFGR-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
qPCR Rick17, Trick, RfelG, Raesch, Rraoul, Rslov Tick
Chile NMRC ELISAs STGO Human serum
OSU Sequencing rrs Human eschar
NMRC ELISA STGO Dog sera
InBios Fuller Laboratories ELISA-IgMIFA-IgG O. tsutsugamushi antigens Human serum
NMRC qPCR Otsu47 Human eschar
MLST rrs, htrA, and tsa56 Human eschar
InBios Fuller Laboratories ELISA-IgM and IgGIFA-IgG O. tsutsugamushi antigens Human sera
NMRC qPCR Orien16S Human eschas
MLST rrs and htrA
NMRC qPCR Orien16S Mites
NMRC qPCR Orien16S Human eschars and buffy coat
PUCC MLST rrs, htrA, and tsa56
NMRC ELISAs TGR-, SFGR-, and STGO-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
Georgia NMRC qPCR assays Rick17, Trick, Raesch, Rraoul, Rslov Ticks
MLST gltA, ompA, ompB, sca4
ELISAs TGR- and SFGR-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
qPCR assays Rick17b, Rraoul, Rslov, Raesch, Rmona, Rconor, Rmass9666 Ticks
MLST gltA, ompA, ompB, sca4
India NMRC ELISAs TGR-, SFGR-, and STGO-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
InBios ELISA InBios Scrub typhus ELISA-IgM
NMRC Sequencing tsa56 Human blood
ELISAs TGR-, SFGR-, and STGO-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
MLST 17kDa, gltA, ompA, ompB, sca4 Human blood
ELISA TGR-ELISA-IgG Human sera
Kazakhstan USAMRIID qPCR assays Dermacentor, Hyalommma, Rhipicephalus, and Ixodes genus-specific assays Ticks
NMRC qPCR Rick17b Ticks
qPCR Rick17b Ticks
qPCR assays Rick17b, Raesch, Rraoul, Rslov Ticks
qPCR assays Rick17b, Rtyph, RfelG, RfelB, Rasemb Rodent fleas
Madagascar NMRC ELISAs TGR- and SFGR-ELISAs-IgG Human seraSmall mammal sera
NMRC and IPM qPCR assays RKND, RfelG, Rasemb Small mammal fles
NMRC and IPM Sequencing ompB
Thailand NMRC ELISA SFGR-ELISA-IgG Cats
qPCR assays Rick17b, Rtyph, RfelG, RfelB, Rasemb Cat fleas
Sequencing ompB
Ukraine NMRC ELISA TGR-ELISA-IgG Human
SFGR-ELISA-IgG
Vietnam NMRC ELISAs TGR-, SFGR-, and STGO-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
ELISAs TGR-, SFGR-, and STGO-ELISAs-IgG Human sera
qPCR assays Otsu47, Rick17b, Rtyph Human buffy coats
qPCR Otsu47 Human PBMCs
Human eschars
HMU and NHTD Sequencing tsa56 Human PBMCs
Human eschars
*

Source of assays: NMRC, Naval Medical Research Center; OSU, Ohio State University; InBios, InBios International, Inc; USAMRIID, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; IPM, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar; HMU, Hanoi Medical University; NHTD, National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

**

Type of assays: ELISAs, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays; qPCR, quantitative real-time PCR; MLST, multilocus sequence typing.

***

Specific assays: TGR, typhus group rickettsiae; SFGR, spotted fever group rickettsiae; STGO, scrub typhus group orientiae; IgG, immunoglobulin gamma; Rick17, a genus-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia species (1st generation); Rick17b, a genus-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia species (2nd generation); RKND, a genus-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia species; Trick, a group-specific qPCR assay for tick-borne spotted fever group Rickettsia species; Rtyph, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia typhi; Rasemb, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia asembonensis; RfelG, a group-specific qPCR assay for flea-borne spotted fever group Rickettsia species; Orien16S, a genus-specific qPCR assay for Orientia species; Raesch, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia aeschlimannii; Rraoul, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia raoultii; Rslov, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia slovaca; Rmona, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia monacensis; Rconor, a subspecies-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia conorii subsp. conorii; Rmass, a species-specific qPCR assay for Rickettsia massiliae; rrs, 16S rRNA gene; htrA, 47-kDa antigen gene; tsa56, 56-kDa type-specific antigen gene; 17 kDa, 17-kDa antigen gene; gltA, citrate synthase gene; ompA, outer membrane protein A gene; ompB, outer membrane protein B gene; sca4, surface cell antigen 4 gene.

****

Host samples: PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell.