Paddock, what are the symptoms of Rickettsial diseases and when should somebody seek medical attention?
[Chris Paddock] Well there are about 15 to 20 different Rickettsia species that could cause Rickettsial illness. And unfortunately, all of them have very similar signs and symptoms early during the illness, which generally are fever, muscle aches, headache, and often a rash. What’s important is to recognize that youve had an exposure to a flea or a tick or a mite that might have transmitted one of these infections because, in the case of some of the other diseases we’re talking about, like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the infection can progress very quickly and can potentially kill the patient. In the case of Rickettsia felis, the patients may be ill for one to two weeks and feel terrible, but we don’t know of any deaths attributable to this infection. Nonetheless, you really want to be able to treat any suspected Rickettsial disease as early as possible and the drug of choice is doxycycline; its effective for treating any Rickettsial disease. [Karen Hunter] Thanks, Dr. Paddock. I’ve
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