Classification: ICD-9 066.1; ICD-10 A93.2
Syndromes and synonyms: None.
Agent: Colorado Tick Fever Virus (CTFV), a prototype virus of the genus Coltivirus of the family Reoviridae; a spherical, enveloped virus with a double-stranded RNA genome of 12 segments.
Reservoir: High altitude rodents, including ground squirrels and porcupines; ticks by trans-stadial transmission; possibly transovarial, but this is considered unlikely.
Vector: Ixodid wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni).
Transmission: By tick bite, blood transfusion; bone marrow for transplantation is routinely screened in endemic areas.
Cycle: The tick feeds on an infected host, the virus multiplies in the tick’s midgut and spreads to the salivary glands, to be injected into another host at the next feed, where it infects erythrocytes. As the virus infects erythrocytes, it is partially protected from immune clearance, leading to prolonged viremia in both humans (up to 4 months) and rodents, favoring spread.
Incubation period
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