Rickettsia sp. DNA recovered from a febrile patient from Papua, Indonesia
Edison Johar,
Ida Yus Sriyani,
Yora Permata Dewi,
Agatha Mia Puspitasari,
Fahira Ainun Nisa,
Ristya Amalia,
Pinkan Pertiwi Kariodimedjo,
Jeanne Rini Poespoprodjo,
Enny Kenangalem,
Frilasita Aisyah Yudhaputri,
Leily Trianty,
Jeremy P. Ledermann,
Khin Saw Aye Myint,
Eric C. Mossel,
Ann M. Powers,
Rintis Noviyanti
Affiliations
Edison Johar
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Ida Yus Sriyani
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Yora Permata Dewi
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Agatha Mia Puspitasari
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Fahira Ainun Nisa
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Ristya Amalia
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Pinkan Pertiwi Kariodimedjo
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Jeanne Rini Poespoprodjo
Timika Malaria Research Program, Papuan Health and Community Development Foundation, Timika, 99910, Indonesia; Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Kabupaten Mimika, Timika, 99910, Indonesia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, 55284, Indonesia
Enny Kenangalem
Timika Malaria Research Program, Papuan Health and Community Development Foundation, Timika, 99910, Indonesia; Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Kabupaten Mimika, Timika, 99910, Indonesia
Frilasita Aisyah Yudhaputri
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia
Leily Trianty
Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, The National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia
Jeremy P. Ledermann
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521, United States
Khin Saw Aye Myint
Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia; Correspondence to: Exeins Health Initiative, Jalan Prof. Dr. Soepomo No. 58, Jakarta Selatan, DKI Jakarta, 12870, Indonesia.
Eric C. Mossel
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521, United States
Ann M. Powers
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521, United States
Rintis Noviyanti
Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, The National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia
Background: Rickettsia are neglected, arthropod-borne bacteria causing febrile illness of varying severity. Indonesia is endemic for several Rickettsia species, predominantly from murine and scrub typhus groups. Objective: We described here a potentially novel Rickettsia species in a young adult presenting with acute, undifferentiated, febrile illness at a primary health center in Timika, Papua, Indonesia, in 2021. Methods: Blood tested positive for Rickettsia spp. by a nucleic acid amplification test, 17-kDa and ompB gene fragments were successfully sequenced. Results: The recovered sequences showed the highest similarity to two Rickettsia spp. of mosquito origin, with 90.0% identity for the 17-kDa and 85.6% for the ompB gene. Conclusion: These findings suggest the presence of a divergent Rickettsia lineage in Papua, Indonesia. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Rickettsia DNA sequences obtained from a human case in this region.
