Septic shock in a patient infected with Rickettsia sibirica mongolitimonae, Spain

Abstract

In 1996, the first human case of infection by Rickettsia sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae was described in France. Subsequently, other human cases were reported in the same country. The acronym LAR (lymphangitis-associated rickettsiosis) has been proposed to designate this disease because lymphangitis is one of the main clinical manifestations. Later, a few more cases were described in Portugal, South Africa, Egypt, Greece and Spain. We report a case of R. sibirica mongolitimonae infection as a cause of septic shock in a Spanish patient living in La Rioja (northern Spain). In addition, the broad clinical spectrum of this tick-borne disease is discussed.