Afebrile spotted fever group Rickettsia infection after a bite from a Dermacentor variabilis tick infected with Rickettsia montanensis

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2012 Dec;12(12):1059-61. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2012.1078. Epub 2012 Nov 15.

Abstract

Several spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) previously believed to be nonpathogenic are speculated to contribute to infections commonly misdiagnosed as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in the United States, but confirmation is difficult in cases with mild or absent systemic symptoms. We report an afebrile rash illness occurring in a patient 4 days after being bitten by a Rickettsia montanensis-positive Dermacentor variabilis tick. The patient's serological profile was consistent with confirmed SFGR infection.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
  • Arachnid Vectors / microbiology*
  • Child
  • DNA, Bacterial / blood
  • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Dermacentor / microbiology*
  • Doxycycline / therapeutic use
  • Exanthema
  • Female
  • Fever
  • Georgia
  • Humans
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Rickettsia / genetics
  • Rickettsia / immunology
  • Rickettsia / isolation & purification*
  • Rickettsia Infections / drug therapy
  • Rickettsia Infections / microbiology*
  • Rickettsia Infections / transmission
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / drug therapy
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / microbiology
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / transmission
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Serologic Tests
  • Tick Bites

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Doxycycline