Short Report: Description of the First Reported Human Case of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis in

Abstract. Described herein is the clinical presentation of a patient from Bangkok, with fever, petechial rash, history of a tick bite, and a diagnosis of spotted fever rickettsiosis. REPORT Tick-transmitted spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are endemic throughout the world although the prevalence varies from region to region. The predominant clinical mani-festations of SFG rickettsioses include fever, headache, and rash. Tetracycline therapy is considered effective and is often associated with a rapid improvement in the patient’s restora-tion to health. In Thailand, the first detection of a SFG rickettsia occurred in 1962. The rickettsia was isolated from a mixed pool of larval ticks of Ixodes sp. and Rhipicephalus sp. collected from Rattus rattus trapped in Chiangmai Province.1 This particular isolate is referred to as TT-118 and recently was geneticall