Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 6, Number 3—June 2000
Letter

Serologic Evidence of Human Monocytic and Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in Israel

On This Page
Article Metrics

Cite This Article

Letter to the Editor: Our article on ehrlichiosis in Israel is one of several reporting serologic evidence of ehrlichiosis outside North America (1-4). Serologic tests were performed for immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies to Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. canis, and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent to prevent misinterpretation due to cross-reaction. The conclusions meet the criteria published by the American Society for Rickettsiology, in which a confirmed diagnosis of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) is based on a "single serum titer of 256" in a patient with clinically compatible disease (5).

The argument that the same epidemiologic circumstances that exist in the United States have to be prevalent in Israel for the disease to be present is not compelling. Reporting serologic evidence of ehrlichiosis in Israel alerts physicians to the possibility of HME and HGE when they see patients with symptoms compatible with these diseases. We agree that isolation and molecular identification of both agents are essential to confirming the presence of these diseases in Israel.

Read original article: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no6/keysary.htmLetter to the Editor regarding Keysary's original article: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no3/brouqui.htm

Top

Avi Keysary and Trevor Waner
Author affiliations: Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel

Top

References

  1. Keysary  A, Amram  L, Keren  G, Sthoeger  A, Potasman  I, Jacob  A, Serologic evidence of human monocytic and granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Israel. Emerg Infect Dis. 1999;5:7758. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Morais  JD, Dawson  JE, Greene  C, Filipe  AR, Galhardas  LC, Bacellar  F. First European case of ehrlichiosis. Lancet. 1991;338:6334.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Bakken  JS, Krueth  J, Tilden  RL, Dumler  JS, Kristiansen  BE. Serological evidence of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Norway. Eur J Microbiol Infect Dis. 1996;15:82932. DOIGoogle Scholar
  4. Christova  IS, Dumler  JS. Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Bulgaria. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1999;60:5861.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Walker  DH. Consensus workshop on diagnosis of human ehrlichiosis. Bulletin of the American Society for Rickettsiology. 1999;2:18.

Top

Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid0603.000317

Related Links

Top

Table of Contents – Volume 6, Number 3—June 2000

EID Search Options
presentation_01 Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
presentation_01 Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
presentation_01 Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.

Top

Page created: December 16, 2010
Page updated: December 16, 2010
Page reviewed: December 16, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external