A fatal case of Brazilian spotted fever in a non-endemic area in Brazil: the importance of having health professionals who understand the disease and its areas of transmission

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Stefan Vilges de Oliveira, Eduardo Pacheco de Caldas, Silvia Colombo, Gilberto Salles Gazeta, Marcelo Bahia Labruna, Fabiana Cristina Pereira dos Santos, Rodrigo Nogueira Angerami
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
• Subjects: Rickettsial illness; Rickettsia rickettsia; Tick-borne diseases; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0088-2016; https://doaj.org/article/1156a68ba3cd4d21843d01cf0b66b495

Abstract Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii. Because of its high case-fatality rate and apparent increase in areas of transmission, it is considered to be the rickettsial illness of primary public health interest. Cases of this disease have historically occurred in Southeastern Brazil. This article reports the first fatal case of BSF in Southern Brazil. This case high lights the importance of BSF to be considered as a differential diagnosis for acute hemorrhagic fever in areas where cases of BSF may not be expected.