Fatal Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis infection, Israel.

Underdiagnosis of fatal spotted fever may be attributed to nonspecific clinical features and insensitive acute-phase serologic studies. We describe the importance of molecular and immunohistochemical methods in establishing the postmortem diagnosis of locally acquired Israeli spotted fever due to Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis in a traveler returning to Israel from India.

Clusters of Mediterranean spotted fever in Israel.

Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) usually occurs as sporadic cases. We report five clusters of MSF in Israel. Each cluster consisted of two to three patients.