Human ehrlichiosis diagnosed in Wisconsin

A man developed a febrile illness shortly after he returned to Wisconsin from Florida, where he had received tick bites. This illness was associated with a rash, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and elevated hepatic enzymes, and it resolved on doxycycline. Serologic studies confirmed ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne rickettsial intraleukocytic infection endemic to the Southeastern United States. This case expands the spectrum of tick-borne illnesses that must be considered by Wisconsin clinicians.