The complement system in Mediterranean spotted fever

Abstract

[EN]This work report a systematic study of the serum complement levels in a large number of patients with documented rickettsiosis. The data do not suggest the existence of significant complement consumption in the studied cases, but rather the behavior of the measured factors as acute-phase reactants. Thus, the endothelial injury by R.conorii seems to be directly responsible for the increased vascular permeability and activation of the coagulation system that takes place at the level of the vasculitic lesions during Mediterranean spotted fever.