Colorado Tick Fever Differential Diagnoses

  • Author: Massoud G Kazzi, MD; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD   more...
 
Updated: Apr 19, 2012
 
 

Diagnostic Considerations

Failure to exclude the treatable tick-borne diseases (eg, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and relapsing fever) and other serious bacterial infections is a potential diagnostic pitfall.

Because this virus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, it is important to inquire into recent transfusions in patients with febrile illnesses (not just Colorado tick fever) and also to make sure that the patient does not donate blood for 6 months.

Differential Diagnoses

Proceed to Workup
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Massoud G Kazzi, MD  Resident Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

Massoud G Kazzi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Medical Association and Emergency Medicine Residents Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Ninfa Mehta, MD  Fellowship Director in Ultrasound Division, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

Ninfa Mehta, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Student Association/Foundation, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD  Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

Additional Contributors

Dan Danzl, MD Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Professor, University of Louisville Hospital

Dan Danzl, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, Kentucky Medical Association, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Wilderness Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jonathan A Edlow, MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Vice Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Jonathan A Edlow, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Public Health Association, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Reference Salary Employment

References

  1. Spruance SL, Bailey A. Colorado Tick Fever. A review of 115 laboratory confirmed cases. Arch Intern Med. Feb 1973;131(2):288-93. [Medline].

  2. Klasco R. Colorado tick fever. Med Clin North Am. Mar 2002;86(2):435-40, ix. [Medline].

  3. Emmons RW. Ecology of Colorado tick fever. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1988;42:49-64. [Medline].

  4. Leiby DA, Gill JE. Transfusion-transmitted tick-borne infections: a cornucopia of threats. Transfus Med Rev. Oct 2004;18(4):293-306. [Medline].

  5. Romero JR, Simonsen KA. Powassan encephalitis and colorado tick fever. Infect Dis Clin North Am. Sep 2008;22(3):545-59, x. [Medline].

  6. Goodpasture HC, Poland JD, Francy DB, et al. Colorado tick fever: clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory aspects of 228 cases in Colorado in 1973-1974. Ann Intern Med. Mar 1978;88(3):303-10. [Medline].

  7. Crowder CD, Rounds MA, Phillipson CA, et al. Extraction of total nucleic acids from ticks for the detection of bacterial and viral pathogens. J Med Entomol. Jan 2010;47(1):89-94. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  8. Wilson ME. Prevention of tick-borne diseases. Med Clin North Am. Mar 2002;86(2):219-38. [Medline].

 
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Two ticks next to common match. On right is Ixodes scapularis, vector for Lyme disease. On left is Dermacentor tick (the larger one and the vector for Colorado tick fever).
 
 
 
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