What Is Typhus? 'Blood' On Woman's Ear Was Actually A Tick

What a woman thought was a mere speck of blood in her ear turned out to be an "engorged" tick that had infected her with typhus.

Tick Horror

It was in 2017 when Whitney James contracted Queensland tick typhus (QTT) after a hiking trip in Queensland, Australia. Recounting her experience in Women's Health, James explained that how her ear began to feel sore days after she got back from the hiking trip and how she found a "piece of coagulated blood" on her ear lobe on her way back to Colorado.

Although she found it rather strange, she did not think much of it until days later when her ear got worse, particularly in the area where she found the "blood." She was in pain and a lymph node close to her ear also began to swell, but the doctor did not think much of it either.

Suspecting that the "blood" wasn't blood at all, especially since the last day of their trek was "buggy," she began researching about ticks and found that the images of "engorged ticks" looked just like the piece that she had pulled off from her ear.

An infectious disease doctor confirmed her suspicion and diagnosed her with QTT.

Typhus Risks

As the government of New South Wales explained, typhus is the term used to describe the infections from several rickettsial bacteria typically from the bite of parasites including mites, ticks or lice. There are several members of the typhus group of rickettsia. This includes the epidemic typhus transmitted through bites of human body lice, the murine typhus transmitted by rat and mice fleas and the scrub typhus transmitted through the bites of larval mites that live on rodents.

In the case of QTT, which infected James, it is a part of the spotted fever group rickettsiae that is spread through the bite of infected ticks. Also known as Australian tick typhus, QTT is a common rickettsial infection in Australia. According to the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP), QTT can be contracted from the bite of an infected tick or via exposure to the feces of an infected host.

After being bitten, there is an incubation period of two to 14 days. Common typhus symptoms include chills, fever, muscle aches and headache, with epidemic and scrub typhus being associated with more severe symptoms. If left untreated, typhus can lead to serious risks for serious conditions, including pneumotitis, encephalitis, septic shock or death, the AJGP explained.

Fair Warning

In James' case, she noted how fortunate it was that the infection was caught relatively quickly, so she didn't experience the more serious side of typhus.

After her experience with typhus, James encourages people to be more careful but to not let the risks that come with tick bites stop people from enjoying nature.

"Stay the hell away from ticks but don't let them keep you from exploring," she said.

Preventing Tick Bites

In the U.S., some of the common tick-borne diseases that people can get include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia depending on the region one is in, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medline Plus Magazine explained. For instance, Lyme disease-carrying ticks are common in the Eastern and upper Midwestern regions while ehrlichiosis-carrying lone star ticks tend to live in the Northeast and Midwestern regions.

To prevent tick bites that could possibly be carrying diseases, there are several simple yet important steps that people can take, such as wearing clothing that covers the arms and legs and even tucking pants into the socks to prevent ticks from coming inside clothing when in the woods. Taking a shower and washing clothes at a high heat upon coming home can also help ensure that the ticks are killed, as well as having family members check each other for any stray ticks that may have hitched a ride home.

It's also wise to use chemical repellents with DEET and to wear light-colored clothing so it's easier to spot any ticks. Those who find ticks should remain calm and simply remove the ticks with tweezers.

What's important is to remove ticks as soon as possible, especially since some tick-borne diseases, like Lyme disease, need time before being transmitted.