Quick test could catch fatal tick fever before it’s too late

A prototype rapid diagnostic test could save lives by enabling early diagnosis and effective treatment for a type of tick-borne fever. The assay uses europium-based nanoparticle reporters to identify a biomarker for the tick-borne disease and could diagnose cases before symptoms appear.

Tick-borne spotted fever rickettsioses (SFRs) are a group of diseases caused by Rickettsia bacteria and are transmitted to humans and other mammals through the bites of infected ticks. Cases of SFRs are rising dramatically, partially due to tick ranges and numbers expanding with climate change.