When temperatures rise, so does the risk of certain diseases. In new research presented today at TropMed20, researchers out of University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine have discovered an increased risk for the deadly Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).

The researchers found that a variety of ticks that carry the bacteria causing the disease are more than twice as likely to shift their feeding preference from dogs to humans when temperatures rise. While RMSF remains treatable if detected early, the fatality rate can exceed 20% once the infection takes hold. These findings present serious concerns that rising temperatures could lead to more infections and expanded areas of risk for the disease across the southern United States.

More information: https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/9181/presentation/1118