Queensland tick typhus: three cases with unusual clinical features

Wilson, Paul; Tierney, Lawrence M.; Lai, Katy; Graves, Stephen

doi:10.1111/imj.12184

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…16 It can present as a moderate to severe disease, with complications such as renal failure, fulminant purpura, myopericarditis, pneumonia, splenic infarct, and vasculitis associated with mortality. 38,122 Its distribution is restricted to the Australian territory, specifically to the Eastern region, where most cases usually occur from June to November. Ixodes holocyclus is the main vector; 69,123 however R. australis has also been isolated from I. tasmani (Southern and Western Australia) and from Ixodes cornuatus (South Australia).…”

Section: Rickettsia Australis Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syndromic classification of rickettsioses: an approach for clinical practice

Faccini-Martínez

García‐Álvarez

Hidalgo

et al. 2014

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rickettsioses share common clinical manifestations, such as fever, malaise, exanthema, the presence or absence of an inoculation eschar, and lymphadenopathy. Some of these manifestations can be suggestive of certain species of Rickettsia infection. Nevertheless none of these manifestations are pathognomonic, and direct diagnostic methods to confirm the involved species are always required. A syndrome is a set of signs and symptoms that characterizes a disease with many etiologies or causes. This situation is applicable to rickettsioses, where different species can cause similar clinical presentations. We propose a syndromic classification for these diseases: exanthematic rickettsiosis syndrome with a low probability of inoculation eschar and rickettsiosis syndrome with a probability of inoculation eschar and their variants. In doing so, we take into account the clinical manifestations, the geographic origin, and the possible vector involved, in order to provide a guide for physicians of the most probable etiological agent.

show abstract

Section: Rickettsia Australis Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syndromic classification of rickettsioses: an approach for clinical practice

Faccini-Martínez

García‐Álvarez

Hidalgo

et al. 2014

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The northern suburbs of Sydney are a particularly common location for transmission of this infection 19 , 20 . Although often a mild condition involving fever, rash and eschar and readily treated with a short course of doxycycline, the infection may be severe 21 , 22 or fatal, 23 and may have unusual feaures 24 . In north‐eastern New South Wales, 15.4% of paralysis ticks contained R. australis 13 .…”

Section: Bacterial Infectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tick‐borne infectious diseases in Australia

Graves¹,

Stenos²

2017

Medical Journal of Australia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tick bites in Australia can lead to a variety of illnesses in patients. These include infection, allergies, paralysis, autoimmune disease, post-infection fatigue and Australian multisystem disorder. Rickettsial (Rickettsia spp.) infections (Queensland tick typhus, Flinders Island spotted fever and Australian spotted fever) and Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) are the only systemic bacterial infections that are known to be transmitted by tick bites in Australia. Three species of local ticks transmit bacterial infection following a tick bite: the paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is endemic on the east coast of Australia and causes Queensland tick typhus due to R. australis and Q fever due to C. burnetii; the ornate kangaroo tick (Amblyomma triguttatum) occurs throughout much of northern, central and western Australia and causes Q fever; and the southern reptile tick (Bothriocroton hydrosauri) is found mainly in south-eastern Australia and causes Flinders Island spotted fever due to R. honei. Much about Australian ticks and the medical outcomes following tick bites remains unknown. Further research is required to increase understanding of these areas.

show abstract

“…6 Myocarditis and small-volume pericardial effusions have been described in several rickettsial infections, including R. australis. 17,40 Rarely, severe vasculitis-driven skin manifestations complicate severe infection causing skin necrosis, bullae, and purpura mimicking Stevens-Johnson syndrome. 6 Purpura fulminans was reported in one case series.…”

Section: Clinical Features and Course Of Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,8,41 Necrotic phenomena are rare but have been reported sporadically in case reports including widespread digital necrosis and splenic infarction. 5,40 Although QTT is not known to directly affect the central nervous system, some reports have documented confusion, seizures, and hallucinations as a prominent feature of this disease. 15 Laboratory investigations include mild-to-moderate thrombocytopenia (platelets 50-150 × 10 9 /L), commonly early in the disease course, transforming into a reactive thrombocytosis during recovery from severe disease.…”

Section: Clinical Features and Course Of Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Azithromycin has been suggested as second-line therapy based on widespread availability, but direct evidence of efficacy is limited. 52 Other options include intravenous tigecycline 1,40 and chloramphenicol. 4 Infections with several rickettsial diseases have been shown to relapse if antimicrobial therapy is ceased as soon as patients become afebrile.…”

Section: Principles Of Treatment and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Rickettsia australis and Queensland Tick Typhus: A Rickettsial Spotted Fever Group Infection in Australia

Stewart

Armstrong

Graves³

et al. 2017

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

, the etiologic agent of Queensland tick typhus (QTT), is increasingly being recognized as a cause of community-acquired acute febrile illness in eastern Australia. Changing human population demographics, climate change, and increased understanding of expanding vector distribution indicate QTT is an emerging public health threat. This review summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment principles, and future directions of this disease. Increased recognition of QTT will enable consideration of and prompt treatment of infection by clinicians in Australia.

show abstract

Queensland tick typhus: three cases with unusual clinical features

Cited by 14 publications

References 19 publications

Syndromic classification of rickettsioses: an approach for clinical practice

Syndromic classification of rickettsioses: an approach for clinical practice

Tick‐borne infectious diseases in Australia

Rickettsia australis and Queensland Tick Typhus: A Rickettsial Spotted Fever Group Infection in Australia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About