Tickborne Relapsing Fever Outbreak at an Outdoor Education Camp — Arizona, 2014

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Jones, Jefferson M. ; Schumacher, Mare ; Peoples, Marie ; Souders, Nina ; Horn, Kimberly ; Fox, Lisa ; Scott, Michele ; Brady, Shane ; Weiss, Joli ; Komatsu, Ken ; Nieto, Nathan
• Description:
  Tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a bacterial infection characterized by recurring episodes of fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and nausea. In North America, TBRF primarily is caused by Borrelia hermsii spirochetes transmitted by Ornithodoros hermsii ticks. Once infected, these soft ticks are infectious for life and transmit the spirochete to sleeping humans quickly (possibly within 30 seconds) during short feeds (15-90 minutes). On August 10, 2014, the Coconino County Public Health Services District in Arizona was notified by a local hospital that five high school students who attended the same outdoor education camp had been hospitalized with fever, headache, and myalgias. HantaVirus infection initially was suspected because of reported exposure to rodent droppings, but after detecting spirochetes on peripheral blood smears from all five hospitalized students, TBRF was diagnosed. The camp was instructed to close immediately, and the health department, in collaboration with local university experts, investigated to identify additional cases, determine the cause, and prevent further infections. A total of 11 cases (six confirmed and five probable) were identified.
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult Borrelia Camping Disease Outbreaks Humans Notes From The Field Relapsing Fever Schools
• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 2015; 64(23):651-652.
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Pubmed ID:
  26086637
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4584738
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona
• Pages in Document:
  2 pdf pages
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  23
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5e8748f3c474b97e465469b6cb70af87073f2cd09e3ddd4f26719c276f46938cc2d8c2a0050ee21333d817584a981082ae4e2c545a367d4e0d5c96d628089d8a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/53186/cdc_53186_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 132.66 KB ]