High seroprevalence of Simkania negevensis in Jordan

Abstract

The bacterium Simkania negevensis is a germ associated with respiratory diseases. This study aims at estimating the prevalence of Simkania in the Jordanian population. Serum samples from 664 Jordanian males and females, aged 2 to 86 years were collected. IgG and IgM Simkania-specific antibodies were detected using an indirect immunofluorescence test. Seropositivity titers for IgG and IgM were defined as 1:8 and 1:10, respectively. The overall prevalence of IgG antibody in all examined Jordanian nationals was 58.4%. IgG seropositivity was low in children under the age of 10 years (34.2%), and increased rapidly with age and ranged between 49.4% and 72%. Simkania-specific IgM was detected in 24.8% of subjects. IgM prevalence in children under 10 years was lowest (10.5%) and increased in older ages and remained above 20%. Overall detection rates of both IgG and IgM were significantly higher in females than males (60.7% vs. 54.5% for IgG and 26.7% vs. 21.7% for IgM). These data indicate that Simkania infection is highly prevalent in Jordan. The high level of seropositivity is most likely maintained by re-infections or chronic infections. Our data may serve as a basis to elucidate the pathogenesis of Simkania in Jordan.