Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
In Brazil, Brazilian spotted fever was once considered the only tick-borne rickettsial disease. We report eschar-associated rickettsial disease that occurred after a tick bite. The etiologic agent is most related to Rickettsia parkeri, R. africae, and R. sibirica and probably widely distributed from São Paulo to Bahia in the Atlantic Forest.
Introduction
Brazilian spotted fever (BSF), caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, was at one time considered the only tick-borne rickettsial disease in Brazil. Its transmission in 5 southern states is primarily associated with Amblyomma cajennense, A. aureolatum, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks; however, many other rickettsiae of unknown pathogenicity are carried by ticks in Brazil. We describe an eschar-associated rickettsiosis in a traveler from the state of Bahia, Brazil; this disease seems to have been caused by the same Rickettsia sp. that caused a similar disease in São Paulo in 2009.