Tick Found in Austin Apartment Linked to Rare Relapsing Fever

A likely urban case of soft tick-borne relapsing fever shows that infected ticks may be present inside Texas homes. While sitting inside an Austin apartment, a resident discovered an engorged tick attached to their ankle. Testing later connected the tick to a likely case of soft tick-borne relapsing fever (STRF), raising concerns that infected soft ticks may pose a risk in urban neighborhoods and homes, not only in rural areas. A household tick revealed the pathogenThe resident sent the living tick to the Texas Department of State Health Services Zoonosis Control Branch (ZCB). Researchers determined that it was Ornithodoros turicata, a species of soft tick, and confirmed that it carried Borrelia turicatae, the bacterium responsible for STRF.