Queensland tick typhus – be aware of this paralysis tick

Queensland tick typhus – be aware of this paralysis tick

By Bush Regenerator, Robin Buchanan

With a name like Queensland tick (scrub) typhus one wouldn’t think to worry about it in other Australian states further south, but it occurs all down the east coast from Cape York well into Victoria (Thomas, 2018). It is rare enough in the northern Sydney area that the symptoms were not recognised by several doctors, but it is common enough to consider it as the cause of a fever, flu-like aches and pains and red spots after a paralysis tick bite. If untreated it can be deadly.

Our saga in northern Sydney started in the last days of November 2025 when a paralysis tick bite quickly resulted in a red swelling with a black scab, apparently typical of this infection. No other symptoms presented for three days but then a severe headache, aching at every joint and a mild temperature developed. It was treated with antibiotics suitable for an ordinary skin infection by the local doctor.

By the evening of the next day with a fever of 40°C, the first indication of spots and increasing weakness took us to the local Hornsby Hospital where the infection was treated with an antibiotic drip suitable for a staphylococcus infection. There was marked improvement, a course of oral antibiotics prescribed, and home we went.

Five days later there was again sufficient deterioration to warrant going back to the Hospital, but it was so busy we abandoned it for the nearby Sydney Adventist Hospital. Finally, the correct diagnosis of spotted fever, Queensland tick typhus (Rickettsia australis), later confirmed by a blood test. The appropriate antibiotics were prescribed and there was a dramatic improvement, but it still resulted in a three-night hospital stay as the patient was by now so weak. Even eight weeks later tiredness was still a symptom. This would probably not be the case if the infection was treated immediately.

According to Shanks (2023), scrub typhus was a major medical threat to military operations in Papua New Guinea during the Second World War. It killed more Australian soldiers than malaria in the pre-antibiotic era. Take it seriously!

The message to everyone that gets ill after a paralysis tick, is to be aware of this serious infection. Ticks are bad enough but the diseases they carry can be worse. Every doctor can’t know everything, but local bush regenerators certainly should be aware of tick typhus so that treatment can be given quickly. We didn’t know!

References

Shanks, GD (2023) Historical epidemics of scrub typhus in Queensland and Papua New Guinea. Internal Medical Journal 53(8), 1501–1505
doi: 10.1111/imj.16199; PMID: 37599229

Thomas, SA and Jason W (2018) Queensland tick typhus (Rickettsia australis) in a man after hiking in rural Queensland. Australian Journal of General Practice 47(6), 359–360
doi: 10.31128/AJGP-10-17-4352

Robin Buchanan

Originally Published in STEP Matters 234 , 07 February 2026 16:40