Rickettsiosis: a cause of acute febrile illness and value of Weil-Felix test

Sir, Rickettsiosis is an underdiagnosed group of diseases presenting as acute febrile illness, with high mortality in untreated cases; the reported seropositivity in clinically suspected infections is up to 33%. [4] Serological tests like Weil-Felix test (WFT), latex agglutination, indirect hemagglutination, immunoperoxidase assay, ELISA, and the ′gold standard′ microimmunofluorescence are used in laboratory evaluation of suspected rickettsial infections. Because of logistics and other constrains, WFT proves to be a handy and affordable for the peripheral areas [5] ; moreover, it enables the laboratory physician to interpret the results in terms of titer for diagnosis and prognosis of the infection. [...]the present study gives the evidence of the presence of rickettsiosis to an unanticipated extent in this region of Karnataka.