Abstract
BackgroundIncreasing numbers of tick-borne pathogens are being discovered, including those that infect humans. However, reports on co-infections caused by two or more tick-borne pathogens are scarce.Case presentationA 38-year-old male farmer was bitten by a hard tick, presented with fever (37.7 °C), severe headache and ejection vomiting. Lumbar puncture was performed in the lateral decubitus. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was clear, and analysis showed severe increased pressure (320 mm H2O), mild leukocytosis (126.0 × 106/L, mononuclear cells accounting for 73%) and elevated total protein concentration (0.92 g/L). Bacterial cultures of CSF and blood were negative. The diagnosis of Rickettsia raoultii and Tacheng tick virus 1 (TcTV-1) co-infection was confirmed by amplifying four rickettsial genetic markers and the partial small (S) RNA segment of TcTV-1 from the patient’s blood. The patient gradually recovered after treatment with levofloxacin and ribavirin.ConclusionsThis is the first reported co-infection case with fever and meningitis caused by R. raoultii and TcTV-1. It is vital to screen for multiple pathogens in tick-bitten patients, especially in those with severe complex symptoms.
Highlights
Increasing numbers of tick-borne pathogens are being discovered, including those that infect humans
This is the first reported co-infection case with fever and meningitis caused by R. raoultii and Tacheng tick virus 1 (TcTV-1)
Epidemiological investigations showed that (i) 7.7% (26/339) of adult ticks tested positive for TcTV-1, and (ii) syndrome of an index patient infected with TcTV-1 included fever, a local skin bulge, rash, chill, muscle
Summary
This is the first reported co-infection case with fever and meningitis caused by R. raoultii and TcTV-1.
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