Californian is infected with rare tick-borne illness. What to know about the deadly bacteria

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A Northern Californian has been confirmed as the fourth-ever person diagnosed with a newly recognized and rare tick-borne disease that causes symptoms similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever.The California Department of Public Health confirmed the latest case of Rickettsia lanei bacteria in a patient who was diagnosed in April of this year.Two other California cases were reported in 2004 and 2023.

Public health officials told The Times that the infected person “was seriously ill, hospitalized and has since been discharged and is recovering.”It is unclear how long the person was in the hospital or what their symptoms were.The state agency said it could not disclose the home county of the person but confirmed the infected person lived and worked in Northern California.

Rickettsia lanei comes from the spotted fever group Rickettsia, bacteria transmitted to humans from the bite of an infected tick.In California three types of ticks — the American dog tick (Dermacentor similis), the Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis) and the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) — can transmit the bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever in humans and dogs, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever can range from fever and a rash to long-term effects that include damage to internal organs or neurological disorders.The tick-borne disease has been spreading globally since the early 2000s, most notably in Mexico and Brazil, with reported fatality rates that can exceed 50%, according to a study published by UC Davis.

California A 78-year-old woman was bitten by a snake three times and died of her injuries, the third snakebite fatality in California this year.Rickettsia lanei bacteria were identified this year in a few Pacific Coast ticks, including a tick in Contra Costa County, according to SFGate, where the latest ...