Rickettsia felis: The Complex Journey of an Emergent Human Pathogen

Rickettsia felis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that is different from other officially recognized rickettsial species. It has multiple genes of different origins, an incubation temperature of less than 32 °C, and a conjugative plasmid. This Rickettsia is commonly detected in febrile patients in sub-Saharan Africa. R. felis is frequently detected in cat fleas, but recently mosquitoes have been suspected to be able to transmit the bacterium. However, many aspects of the ecology and epidemiology of R. felis are not completely understood and remain to be uncovered. We aim here to give an update of the current knowledge about this fascinating organism.

TrendsRickettsia felis is an emerging rickettsial pathogen with a worldwide distribution in mammals, humans, and ectoparasites.Ctenocephalides felis was considered to be the only confirmed vector of R. felis, but evidence supports the role of Anopheles in the transmission of this bacterium.Symptoms of R. felis infection are often unclear, mostly manifest as fever, and are typically misdiagnosed as other febrile illnesses, including malaria.R. felis may be commonly present in the environment and in samples from healthy carriers, which emphasizes the need for future studies and reports to include negative controls.