Rickettsia japonica Infection after Land Leech Bite, Japan

Abstract

We report a case of Rickettsia japonica infection in an 81-year-old man in central Japan. The patient had fever, rash, and an eschar but no evidence of a tick bite. His symptoms began 8 days after a land leech bite. The land leech is a potential vector of R. japonica.

Keywords

• Japanese spotted fever
• Rickettsia
• scrub typhus
• Orientia tsutsugamushi
• leech
• Rickettsia japonica