African tick bite fever Leg lesion from a Rickettsia africae infection Specialty Infectious disease Symptoms Fever, headache, muscles pains, rash[1] Complications Rare (joint inflammation)[2][3] Usual onset 4 to 10 days after the bite[4] Causes Rickettsia africae spread by ticks[2] Diagnostic method Based on symptoms, confirmed by culture, PCR, or immunofluorescence[3][2] Prevention Avoiding tick bites[1] Medication Doxycycline, chloramphenicol, azithromycin[2][3] Prognosis Good[2] Frequency Relatively common among travelers to sub-Saharan Africa[2] Deaths None reported[3]