Imported African Tick Bite Fever in Japan: A Literature Review and Report of Three Cases

African tick bite fever (ATBF) is an acute febrile illness caused by Rickettsia africae. ATBF is an important differential diagnosis of acute febrile illness among returned travelers. However, little information is available on ATBF cases imported to Japan, as only seven have been reported to date. To characterize the epidemiological and clinical profiles of patients diagnosed with ATBF in Japan, we reported three new ATBF cases at our hospital between May 2015 and April 2018 and conducted a literature review.

Automated summary

This study reports three new cases of African tick bite fever (ATBF) in Japan and provides a literature review. The findings contribute to the understanding of the epidemiological and clinical profiles of ATBF patients in Japan, and offer important insights for diagnosis and prevention of this disease in the region.