| Disease/Syndrome |
Rickettsialpox |
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| Category |
Infection, Occupational |
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| Acute/Chronic |
Acute-Moderate |
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| Synonyms |
Vesicular rickettsiosis; Rickettsia akari infection; |
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| Biomedical References |
Search PubMed |
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| Comments |
Rickettsialpox is transmitted by mites from mice to people. The vesicular rash has been mistaken for the rash of chickenpox. The disease is prevented by controlling mice and their mites. Most cases have been reported in New York City and cities in the former Soviet Union. [CCDM, p. 463-4] The fever starts 1-2 weeks after the mite bite. The papular rash appears 1-3 days after onset of the fever. Vesicles usually develop on the top of the papules. Rickettsialpox tends to be milder than other rickettsial infections. [ID, p. 1488] The fever lasts about one week and is associated with profuse sweating, headache, myalgia, and photophobia. The rash develops in the first few days of the fever, and it does not affect the palms and soles. Rickettsialpox is not known to be fatal. [Merck Manual, p. 1492] An eschar at the site of the mite bite can be found in more than 90% of cases, and it is associated with regional lymphadenopathy. Transient leukopenia and thrombocytopenia may be seen. Rickettsialpox causes a vesicular rash along with a few other infections, e.g., smallpox, varicella, herpes zoster, herpes simplex, Queensland tick typhus, and African tick-bite fever. The last two are similar to Boutonneuse fever. [PPID, p. 2295] |
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| Latency/Incubation |
7-10 days from bite to skin lesion; |
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| Diagnostic |
Serology; PCR, Immunostain of tissue from biopsy; |
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| ICD-9 Code |
083.2 |
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| Effective Antimicrobics |
Yes |
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| Scope |
Worldwide in urban and rural cycles; [ID, p. 1488] |
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| Reference Link |
Health Canada - Rickettsia akara |
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| Related Information in Haz-Map |
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| Symptoms/Findings |
Symptoms/Findings associated with this disease:
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| Job Tasks |
High risk job tasks associated with this disease:
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