Rickettsia felis is a Rickettsia species of the spotted fever group that is associated with cata.
Vector: cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis, Ctenocephalides canis)
Clinical features:
(1) high fever
(2) headache
(3) skin rash
(4) hepatitis with elevation of liver function tests
Molecular methods are helpful in establishing the diagnosis.
When to suspect Rickettsia felis:
(1) typhus-like infection in an area with no or few rats
(2) typhus-like infection in an area with feral cats, wild dogs and opossums
(3) exclusion of other pathogens
To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
