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July 2005
Four people in Adelaide, Australia, have confirmed rickettsial
spotted fever, a disease that was not previously seen in mainland Australia but
seen on Flinders Island in Bass Strait, according to ProMED-mail.
The four confirmed cases since 2001 are unrelated women ages 65
and 44 and men ages 74 and 58, who reported fevers, headaches and muscle pains
for about a week before a rash appeared. All responded quickly to doxycycline
therapy and made a full recovery.
The cases may be linked to climate change or living close to
native fauna where there may be a greater risk of tick bite, the Sunday
Mail reported in its June 5 edition, according to ProMED-mail.
Experts at Flinders Medical Centre said they believe the cases may
not be the only ones that will be seen.
“It is quite likely this illness has been in our community
for some time; it just has not been recognized,” said David Gordon, PhD,
head of microbiology, Flinders Medical Centre, and infectious diseases
professor, in the ProMED-mail report.
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Rickettsia honei spotted
fever
The bacterium Rickettsia honei, found in ticks that infest
Sleepy Lizards and other reptiles, causes the infection. If the tick bites a
human, the bacterium can spread. Physicians can quickly and effectively treat
it with tetracycline, which reduces the duration and severity of illness.
Although rare, the disease can be fatal. A telltale spotted rash
usually appears on the limbs and torso several days after the first symptoms
and people can become sick quickly.
Researchers suggested that more data are needed on the ecology,
microbiology and epidemiology of spotted fever group rickettsial infections in
South Australia.
“Meanwhile, clinicians should be aware that rickettsial
infections, particularly Flinders Island spotted fever, may occur outside
previously described geographic ranges in Australia,” the researchers said
in their study, published recently in the Medical Journal of
Australia.
For more information:
- Dyer JR, Einsiedel L, Ferguson PE, et al. A new focus of
Rickettsia honei spotted fever in South Australia. Med J Aust.
2005;182(5):231-234.
- ProMED-mail, the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, is
a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. For more
information and free subscription, go to
www.promedmail.org.
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