Ultra Rare Tick-Borne Disease Found in California
Newser • • health
Key Points:
- California has recorded its third known human case of Rickettsia lanei infection, a rare tick-borne illness first identified in Sonoma County in 2018.
- Rickettsia lanei causes symptoms similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a serious disease that can be fatal in up to 10% of US cases.
- The illness belongs to the spotted fever group and can lead to fever, rash, organ damage, gangrene, and coma if not treated promptly.
- Doxycycline is the recommended treatment, and health experts advise starting it immediately in patients with tick exposure and flu-like symptoms, even before test results are available.
- Awareness of this rare disease is important for timely diagnosis and treatment, especially in areas where the bacterium is present in local tick populations.