Serologic study of rickettsioses among acute febrile patients in central Tunisia.

Although Mediterranean spotted or "boutonneuse" fever (MSF) has been documented in central Tunisia, other spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR) and typhus group rickettsioses (TGR) have received little attention in our region. We sought to determine the role of rickettsioses, Q fever, ehrlichioses, and bartonelloses among patients with acute fever. The results of this study of 47 persons with acute fever of undetermined origin are reported in this paper. We concluded that SFGR, murine typhus, and acute Q fever are common causes of acute isolate fever in summer in central Tunisia and should be investigated systematically in patients with acute fever of unknown origin.