Washington Post
by Lindsey Bever
…Bobbi Pritt, a physician and co-director of Vector-Borne Diseases Lab Services at Mayo Clinic, said that although Rocky Mountain spotted fever is considered low-risk, it can be rapidly fatal. In fact, she said, when patients have symptoms consistent with the disease, doctors will typically start treatment without waiting for lab results. Pritt said that the treatment, an antibiotic called doxycycline, is found to be effective when the disease is diagnosed early.
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Context: Bobbi Pritt, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic pathologist. Dr. Pritt's research focus is in clinical parasitology, vector-borne diseases, trainee education and appropriate test utilization. Dr. Pritt's work has resulted in the implementation of rapid and highly sensitive molecular tests for important human infections, including malaria, microsporidiosis, Lyme disease and Borrelia miyamotoiinfection. Malaria, in particular, is a potentially fatal disease and a leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. In the U.S., malaria is most commonly seen in individuals who have traveled to or emigrated from endemic areas such as parts of Africa, Asia and South America. You can learn more about Dr. Pritt in this Mayo Clinic in the Loop profile or in her Creepy, Dreadful, Wonderful Parasites blog.
Contact: Bob Nellis
Tags: Dr. Bobi Pritt, pathology, tick-borne disease, ticks, Uncategorized, Vector-Borne Diseases Lab Services at Mayo Clinic, Washington Post