Publications by authors named "Carl Pahlson"

Background: Rickettsia helvetica, a spotted fever rickettsia, is transmitted to humans via ticks in Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The central nervous system is a crucial target for rickettsial diseases, which has been reported for 12 of the 31 species, of which R. helvetica is one.

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In a retrospective study, 36 patients with peripheral facial palsy were serologically evaluated for the presence of spp. and spp. antibodies.

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Eighteen species of rickettsiae are reported to cause infections in humans. One of these is Rickettsia helvetica, which is endemic in European and Asian countries and transmitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus. Besides fever, it has been demonstrated to cause meningitis and is also associated with perimyocarditis.

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Vector-borne diseases such as Lyme borreliosis and rickettsioses have been associated with ocular inflammation. Our aim was to study patients with diagnosed uveitis to evaluate serological signs of infection or exposure to these tick-borne agents. Forty-eight patients were prospectively examined with serology together with medical records and a questionnaire concerning previous exposure, diseases, and treatments.

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: African tick-bite fever, caused by , is endemic in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and a possible cause of fever in returning Swedish travellers. Two patients are presented, and the advantages and disadvantages of different diagnostic methods are discussed. : Two middle-aged men fell ill with fever after returning home from South Africa.

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Serum and blood samples from 36 game animals, shot during the hunting seasons 2007-2009, were collected and analyzed for the presence of Trypanosoma spp. by three methods: isolation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and serology. Only fissiped animals were included, four different ruminants and wild boar.

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Herpes virus type 2 DNA was detected by PCR in the cerebrospinal fluid in a young woman presenting with headache, stiff neck and pleocytosis, and serological findings consistent with reactivation. Since she was exposed to ticks, Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis were excluded. Further investigation in an ongoing project, using PCR and sequencing of the amplified products, showed the presence of Rickettsia helvetica in the cerebrospinal fluid.

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This randomized double-blind placebo controlled study assessed the vaginal colonization of lactic acid bacteria and clinical outcome. Vaginal capsules containing L gasseri LN40, Lactobacillus fermentum LN99, L. casei subsp.

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Pathogenicity of Rickettsia helvetica is relatively unknown. We isolated a spotted fever group rickettsial organism from a patient with subacute meningitis. Nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA, ompB, and 17kDa genes identified the isolate as R.

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Rickettsia helvetica is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative microorganism found in Ixodes ricinus ticks. When R. helvetica was first discovered in 1979, little was known about its physiology and it fell into oblivion until it recently was suspected of being pathogenic to humans.

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Sweden is an area potentially endemic for spotted fever rickettsioses. Rickettsia helvetica has been isolated from its tick vector Ixodes ricinus, and in a handful of cases linked to human disease. This study demonstrates for the first time in Sweden the transmission of rickettsial infection after a tick bite and the attack rate in an endemic area.

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In samples obtained during the autopsies of 2 patients with sarcoidosis, genetic material from Rickettsia helvetica was detected by polymerase chain reaction, and histologic and immunohistochemical examination (using 3 different antibodies) of the polymerase chain reaction-positive tissues showed different degrees of granuloma formation and presence of rickettsia-like organisms predominantly located in the endothelium and macrophages. Electron microscopic examination clearly identified and demonstrated rickettsia-like organisms within the granuloma, with findings suggestive of ongoing infection. Immunogold labeling with Proteus OX-19 antiserum showed that the gold markers were localized to the rickettsia-like organisms.

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