Haoyi Wang,* Zhen Ni,* Yinghao Chang

Department of Infectious Disease, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610083 People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Yinghao Chang, Department of Infectious Disease, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu, 610083, People’s Republic of China, Email cyh19920913@126.com

Abstract: Japanese spotted fever (JSF) is a neglected and potentially fatal infectious disease. Delays in diagnosis and treatment of JSF are important causes of poor prognosis. We report a case of JSF in a 75-year-old farmer who, following autumn field work in Sichuan, China, presented with an atypical triad of clinical symptoms: high fever, petechial rash, and notably no eschar. Without appropriate diagnosis and treatment, she developed septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The diagnosis of JSF was confirmed by the identification of Rickettsia japonica by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the blood. After one week of treatment with doxycycline, the patient’s clinical symptoms subsided without any complaints of discomfort.

Keywords: atypical triad of clinical symptoms of Japanese spotted fever, Rickettsia japonica, mNGS