[1] Prevention is by avoiding tick bites by covering the skin, using DEET, or using permethrin treated clothing.

[2] African tick bite fever is often asymptomatic or mild in clinical presentation and complications are rare.

[4] After the rickettsia bacteria infects humans through a tick bite, it invades endothelial cells in the circulatory system (veins, arteries, capillaries).

[16] Rickettsia bacteria species like R. africae replicate around the area of the initial tick bite, causing necrosis (cell death) and lymph node inflammation.

[17] Travelers who present to a doctor after a trip to affected areas can be hard to diagnose, as many tropical diseases cause a fever similar to that of ATBF.

[18] Other diseases that may look similar are malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis, acute HIV and respiratory infections.

[18] In addition to questions about symptoms, doctors will ask patients for an accurate travel history and whether he/she was near animals or ticks.

[19] The antibiotic treatment available for rickettsiae infections has very few side effects, so if a doctor has a high suspicion of the disease, he or she may simply treat without doing more laboratory tests.

[8] Prevention of ATBF centers around protecting oneself from tick bites by wearing long pants and shirt, and using insecticides like DEET on the skin.

[7] Travelers to rural areas in Africa and the West Indies should be aware that they may come in contact with ATBF tick vectors.

[7] Infection is more likely to occur in people who are traveling to rural areas or plan to spend time participating in outdoor activities.

[1] Inspection of the body, clothing, gear, and any pets after time outdoors can help to identify and remove ticks early.

[1] African tick bite fever is usually mild, and most patients do not need more than at-home treatment with antibiotics for their illness.

[7] Cases of African tick bite fever have been more frequently reported in the literature among international travelers.

[21] In Zimbabwe, where R. africae is endemic, one study reported an estimated yearly incidence of 60-80 cases per 10,000 patients.

[7][21] Looking at published data over the past 35 years, close to 200 confirmed cases of African tick bite fever in international travelers have been reported.