Rickettsial diseases

Usually no follow-up is required for people diagnosed with a rickettsial infection once they have recovered following antibiotic treatment. A follow-up serum may be useful for rickettsial antibody testing to confirm the original diagnosis, which may have been made when the patient was still seronegative. Confirmatory serological testing should be performed 2 to 4 weeks after acute serum is collected; a 4-fold rise in rickettsial antibody titre confirms the diagnosis.