New Carrier: Common tick implicated in spread of fever
By Nathan Seppa
A wide-ranging tick previously considered to be little more than a nuisance to people is responsible for at least 11 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in eastern Arizona, researchers report. The lethal bacterial disease had been virtually unknown in that area.
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The cases represent the first documented U.S. outbreak of the disease directly attributable to the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Health officials had presumed that the fever spreads exclusively through American dog ticks and Rocky Mountain wood ticks—species that typically feed on wild rodents and other small mammals, including dogs. These ticks also prefer moist climates. In contrast, brown dog ticks feed almost exclusively on dogs and are more common in dry climates than the other ticks are.