Rodents are the reservoir in all parts of the world, except in East Africa where humans are the reservoir.
About
- Soft ticks (Ornithodoros spp.) transmit B. duttonii
- Spread through saliva while feeding on their host
Clinical
- Meningitis and headache.
- Hepatosplenomegaly, jaundice
- High fever, tachycardia
- Marked thrombocytopenia - petechial rash
- Serosal haemorrhage and epistaxis.
- lasts 4-10 days and some may relapse.
Investigations
- Spirochaetes may be detected on dark-field microscopy.
Management
- A 7-day course of tetracycline or erythromycin is needed.