文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Rickettsia felis meningoencephalitis in a child: a case report and literature review

作者：Li, Xuehua[1,2,3];Jiang, Yan[4];Dai, Rui[1];Yang, Yue[3];Wang, Weikai[1,4]

第一作者：Li, Xuehua;李晓红;李向辉;李熙红

通信作者：Wang, WK[1];Wang, WK[2]

机构：[1]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Clin Med Coll 1, Lanzhou, Gansu, Peoples R China;[2]Liangzhou Hosp, Dept Pediat Intens Care Med, Wuwei, Gansu, Peoples R China;[3]Gansu Prov Peoples Hosp, Dept Pediat, Lanzhou, Gansu, Peoples R China;[4]Gansu Prov Matern & Child Hlth Hosp, Gansu Cent Hosp, Pediat Intens Care Unit PICU, Lanzhou, Gansu, Peoples R China

第一机构：甘肃中医药大学

通信机构：[1]corresponding author), Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Clin Med Coll 1, Lanzhou, Gansu, Peoples R China;[2]corresponding author), Gansu Prov Matern & Child Hlth Hosp, Gansu Cent Hosp, Pediat Intens Care Unit PICU, Lanzhou, Gansu, Peoples R China.|[10735]甘肃中医药大学;

年份：2026

卷号：14

外文期刊名：FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS

收录：;WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:001747440400001)】；

基金：The author(s) declared that financial support was received for this work and/or its publication. This study was supported by the Gansu Provincial Major Science and Technology Special Project (Grant No. 22ZD6FA034).

语种：英文

外文关键词：case report; children; meningoencephalitis; next-generation sequencing (NGS); Rickettsia felis

摘要：Rickettsia felis (R. felis) infection occasionally invades the central nervous system, causing encephalitis or meningoencephalitis. Although the disease typically presents as mild to moderate illness, delayed diagnosis and treatment may increase the risk of adverse prognosis in pediatric patients. This article reports a case of R. felis meningoencephalitis in a child diagnosed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of cerebrospinal fluid. mNGS analysis detected high-confidence R. felis-specific sequences, and potential background microbial contamination was effectively excluded through a bioinformatics pipeline, thereby providing critical evidence for etiological confirmation. Due to insufficient clinical awareness, limited pathogen detection methods, and the self-limiting nature of the disease, R. felis infection is prone to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis in febrile children. The clinical manifestations are nonspecific; even with central nervous system involvement, routine laboratory tests are unlikely to suggest the microbial etiology, contributing to the underrecognition and underreporting of pediatric R. felis meningoencephalitis. Therefore, enhancing diagnostic awareness and achieving early precise diagnosis and treatment may help shorten the disease course and improve patient outcomes.