In a residential backyard in Maine, Project ITCH researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst stumbled upon a surprise finding: rabbit ticks harboring a new type of bacteria related to a group of pathogens that can cause sometimes life-threatening spotted fever rickettsioses (SFR) infections in humans. The most common and deadly SFR is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which has a death rate of 20%–30% if not treated promptly with the antibiotic doxycycline.
Tick researchers identify new strain of Rickettsia bacteria that causes spotted fever infections in humans
