California Detects 4th Human Rickettsia lanei Case After April Hospitalization

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jun 18

An April hospitalization in California has been tied to Rickettsia lanei, a tick-borne bacterium that health officials say likely infected the patient during travel in Northern California.
Only four human cases have been documented since the pathogen was first identified in Sonoma County in 2018—two in California, one in Oregon and this newly announced case.
CDPH said the illness is hard to spot because it resembles Rocky Mountain spotted fever, with symptoms including fever, headache, muscle pain and rash; all known patients were hospitalized, some requiring intensive care.
Tick surveillance has found one infected Pacific Coast tick and two infected rabbit ticks in Contra Costa and San Mateo counties, underscoring advice to use repellent and start doxycycline quickly when spotted-fever infection is suspected.