Before symptoms arise, rapid test detects SFRs

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, comprising biomolecular engineers, pathologists, and internal medicine specialists, have developed a quick test for tick-borne spotted fever rickettsioses (SFRs). The results of the research were published in an article in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Tick-borne SFRs encompass a group of diseases caused by the Rickettsia bacteria, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe in infected individuals. The management of SFRs involves the administration of antibiotics, with the timely diagnosis being of paramount importance to the efficacy of the treatment. Currently, diagnosis of SFRs is made by detecting antibodies in the blood using the indirect immunofluorescence method. However, these antibodies do not typically manifest for a period ranging from seven to ten days. During this period, bacterial proliferation can occur, thereby complicating the therapeutic approach. The research team has developed a test that can be utilised before the onset of symptoms, thereby identifying an enzyme that could serve as a marker for infected individuals, facilitating the diagnosis of SFRs up to two days before the manifestation of symptoms. While further validation is required to substantiate these findings, the proposed approach has the potential to pave the way for the development of point-of-care tests, which could significantly improve patient outcomes.