WEITZEL, THOMAS
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WEITZEL, THOMAS
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Email
thomas.weitzel@gmail.com
ORCID
Scopus Author ID
14007561700

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2022 2022 2021 2021 2020 2020 2019 2019 2018 2018 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.5 2.5 3.0 3.0

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Imported scrub typhus: first case in South America and review of the literature

2018 , WEITZEL, THOMAS , AYLWIN RAMIREZ, MABEL CRISTINA , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , Ju Jiang , THOMPSON MOYA, LUIS ADALBERTO , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , Katia Abarca , Allen L. Richards

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Human seroepidemiology of Rickettsia and Orientia species in Chile – A cross-sectional study in five regions

2020 , WEITZEL, THOMAS , Gerardo Acosta-Jamett , Ju Jiang , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , Christina M. Farris , Allen L. Richards , Katia Abarca

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Identification of trombiculid mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) on rodents from Chiloé Island and molecular evidence of infection with Orientia species

2020 , Gerardo Acosta-Jamett , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , Esperanza Beltrami , María Carolina Silva-de La Fuente , Ju Jiang , Allen L. Richards , WEITZEL, THOMAS , Katia Abarca , John Stenos

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Development of a New Genus-Specific Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay for the Diagnosis of Scrub Typhus in South America

2022 , Ju Jiang , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , WEITZEL, THOMAS , Christina M. Farris , Gerardo Acosta-Jamett , Katia Abarca , Allen L. Richards

Scrub typhus is a potentially severe rickettsiosis, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi in the Asia-Pacific region. Recently, however, two distinct pathogens, “Candidatus Orientia chuto” and “Candidatus Orientia chiloensis”, have been discovered in the Middle East and South America, respectively. Since the novel pathogens differ significantly from O. tsutsugamushi, many established diagnostic methods are unreliable. This work describes the development and validation of a new quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay (Orien16S) for the detection of all known Orientia species. Based on a 94 bp sequence of the 16S rRNA gene (rrs), Orien16S recognized DNA samples from O. tsutsugamushi (n = 41), Ca. O. chiloensis (n = 5), and Ca. O. chuto (n = 1), but was negative for DNA preparations from closely related rickettsiae and other members of the order Rickettsiales (n = 22) as well as unrelated bacterial species (n = 11). After its implementation in Chile, the assay was verified, correctly identifying all tested eschar and buffy coat samples (n = 28) of clinical suspected cases. Furthermore, Orien16S detected Orientia DNA in trombiculid mites collected in endemic regions in southern Chile. The presented novel qPCR assay provides a useful tool for detecting Orientia and diagnosing scrub typhus from all geographical regions.

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Molecular Description of a Novel Orientia Species Causing Scrub Typhus in Chile

2020 , Katia Abarca , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , Jenniffer Angulo , Ju Jiang , Christina M. Farris , Allen L. Richards , Gerardo Acosta-Jamett , WEITZEL, THOMAS

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Scrub Typhus in Continental Chile, 2016–2018

2019 , WEITZEL, THOMAS , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , Gerardo Acosta-Jamett , Ju Jiang , Allen L. Richards , Katia Abarca

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Canine seroprevalence to Orientia species in southern Chile: A cross-sectional survey on the Chiloe A Island

2018 , Thomas Weitzel , Ju Jiang , Gerardo Acosta-Jamett , Constanza Martínez-Valdebenito , Javier López , Allen L. Richards , Katia Abarca , J. Stephen Dumler

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