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What is Rickettsialpox?
Rickettsialpox is a relatively mild disease caused by a member of the bacterial family called Rickettsia.
What causes Rickettsialpox?
The specific bacteria responsible for rickettsialpox is called Rickettsia akari. A person contracts this bacteria through the bite of an infected mite.
What is the prognosis for rickettsialpox?
Prognosis for full recovery from rickettsialpox is excellent. No deaths have ever been reported from this illness, and even the skin rash heals without scarring.
How is Rickettsialpox transmitted?
Like other members of the family of Rickettsia, the bacteria causing rickettsialpox live in mice. Tiny mites feed on these infected mice, thus acquiring the organism. When these mites feed on humans, the bacteria can be transmitted.
How is rickettsialpox treated?
rickettsialpox is such a mild illness, some practitioners choose to simply treat the symptoms (giving acetaminophen for fever and achiness, pushing fluids to avoid dehydration ). Others will give their patients a course of the antibiotic tetracycline
Are mites a vector transmitted disease?
No. Mites are parasitic arthropods. They are external parasites, meaning that they do not penetrate the body. They may cause an infestation, but not a disease (or an infection). However, they can be vectors of disease, such as typhus and rickettsialpox.
Where does Rickettsialpox occur?
Rickettsialpox occurs mostly within cities. In the United States, the disease has cropped up in such places as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. It has also been identified in Russia, Korea, and Africa.
How long does it take rickettsialpox symptoms to appear?
After a person has been bitten by an infected mite, there is a delay of about 10 days to three weeks prior to the onset of symptoms.
How is rickettsialpox prevented?
As with all mite- or tick-borne illnesses, prevention includes avoidance of areas known to harbor the insects, and/or careful application of insect repellents.
If you have chickenpox do you get a cold?
Chickenpox virus doesn't cause cold sores. Although the viruses that cause chickenpox and cold sores are similar, herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, and varicella zoster virus causes chickenpox.
What is the first symptom of Rickettsialpox?
The first symptom is a bump which appears at the site of the original bite. The bump (papule) develops a tiny, fluid-filled head (vesicle). The vesicle sloughs away, leaving a crusty black scab in its place (eschar).
What do rickettsiae carry?
Rickettsiae bacteria carry yphus, rickettsialpox, Boutonneuse fever, African tick bite fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Flinders Island spotted fever and Queensland tick typhus (Australian tick typhus).
