Show Colorado Tick Fever Show Up In Utah Seventeen cases of Colorado tick fever have been confirmed by viral isolations in Utah in This represents a 70 percent increase in isolates over NINE males and eight females were involved with an age range from seven to 70 years The date of onset of illness was consistent with past experience in with one case occurring in 10 in five in and one in A history of tick bite was elicited in 91 The tick bites occurred in many of the mountainous areas of the state suggesting that altitude rather than specific geographical locale determines the presence of infected the wood tick responsible for the transmission of COLORADO tick fever is an acute viral illness characterized mainly by and severe The incubation period is usually three to seven The illness is self-limited and is usually accompanied by a temperature The two serious complications include neurological which are related to central nervous system infection by the and a bleeding diathesis accompanied by a marked THE laboratory diagnosis can be made by isolating the virus from the red cell clot of a whole blood specimen drawn as soon as possible after the onset of The virus apparently persists in red cell for the life of the cell because it has been isolated from a patient in California days after Complement fixation titers are done at the state laboratory on acute and convalescent CONVALESCENT specimens should be submitted four weeks after the acute blood since complement fixation antibodies are slow to develop in this There is great difficulty in differentiating between the symptoms of Colorado tick fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the early stages of has a much more serious morbidity and mortality which is related to the delay in institution of antibiotic For this it is to treat the patient with antibiotics while awaiting the laboratory's assistance in making diagnosis of |