Land Leech Bite Associated Rickettsia japonica Infection in an Elderly Woman in China
Keye Xu, Fanfan Yang, Yuhui Liu, Jiaqi Qiu, Chenjun Zeng · 2026
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Description
Xu and colleagues report an elderly Chinese farmer who developed Rickettsia japonica infection, a spotted fever illness, after a land leech bite while digging bamboo in mountains near Ningbo. She recalled the bite on her left ankle about three days before symptoms began and denied any tick exposure, making the leech the suspected source.
On admission she had fever above 38 degrees Celsius, a painless rash spreading from the ankle to her thighs, palms, and soles, and an eschar at the bite site. Blood tests showed low platelets at 90, raised liver enzymes, and a C-reactive protein level of 95.47 milligrams per liter, indicating strong inflammation. Gene sequencing of blood bacteria matched the Rickettsia japonica reference strain with 100 percent nucleotide identity in the gltA gene. She improved on minocycline followed by omadacycline and was discharged.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Keye Xu, Fanfan Yang, Yuhui Liu, Jiaqi Qiu, Chenjun Zeng |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 4 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |