Douglas Costa, the pilot and his partner die four hours apart from a tick bite – Corriere.it

They died within four hours of each other from a lethal tick bite. In Brazil, the pilot Douglas Costa, 42, and his partner Mariana Giordano, 36, were struck down by what was initially defined as a mysterious disease, later identified as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a rare infectious disease caused by the bite of particular ticks, in Brazil the star tick.

Douglas Costa was attending the AMG Cup Brasil, a Mercedes event, when he suffered the first signs of illness. The disease was very fast. On May 27, the two visited a rural area in Campinas, 93 kilometers from São Paulo. On Saturday June 3, they started developing symptoms: fever, body aches, red rash. So the next day Mariana went to the hospital: on Sunday she was given adrenaline and she was fine again. On Monday she went to the University for a course that was finishing up. At night she began to feel very ill and was hospitalized, said the woman’s brother. Transferred to ICU on Tuesday June 6, died Thursday.

At first Douglas, who was also ill, instead stayed at home: he only went to the hospital on Wednesday. he was hospitalized, they took him to intensive care, they intubated him at night and he died on Thursday. He at noon, she at 4pm, explained Mariana’s brother. She had received two bites, one on her shoulder and one on her leg. They were fatal to her. To understand the cause of death, it was necessary to analyze the biological samples of the two.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute febrile infectious disease, caused by a bacterium of the genus Rickettsia, transmitted by tick bites. To all family members and friends, our deepest condolences. We know how much Douglas was an admirable person and how he will undoubtedly leave a great void in the hearts of all those who have had the honor and pleasure of knowing him, the note from AMG Cup Brasil to remember the pilot.