New Bacteria Type Linked to Ehrlichiosis

Doctors in the Midwest have discovered a new type of bacteria linked to the infection ehrlichiosis. Ticks transmit this disease to humans. The new strain is spread by deer ticks. Researchers have named it Ehrlichia species Wisconsin. So far, it’s been found only in the blood of people from Wisconsin and Minnesota. But it could spread. Deer ticks, which also spread Lyme disease, are found across the United States. The new type of bacteria was identified in four patients. All recovered after treatment with antibiotics. But one — a man with a prior lung transplant — required a short hospital stay. Researchers reported about the new bacterium in the New England Journal of Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it August 4.