Australian ticks contain a number of bacteria that cause disease in humans, including spotted fever
Australian ticks contain a number of bacteria that cause disease in humans.
The main cause of spotted fever is the intracellular bacteria called rickettsia.
“There are a variety of them in Australia,” says Dr Bernard Hudson, infectious disease physician in Sydney.
“Rickettsia australis is the species that is most commonly known. There is one called Rickettsia honei and there are a couple of others.”
Spotted fever appears a couple of days after a tick bite and affected patients develop a rash that looks very much like chicken pox. “So it looks very much like a little lump with a bit of fluid, eventually a pustule on top. Sometimes it is haemorrhagic,” says Dr Hudson.
Patients typically have a scab at the site of the tick bite. To diagnose spotted fever, GPs can take a swab of the area and send it to the laboratory for testing.
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