Autopsy results on an unidentified 49-year-old woman in Komotini confirmed she had triggered an infection by removing the tick herself that led to fatal organ failure, the Kathimerini news service reported.

Six other workers who had been bitten went to doctors to have the ticks removed and didn't contract the condition, the report said.

State health officials issued a public advisory about tick bites, and dispatched inspectors to cattle and ostrich farms in the area.

The fever is most common among livestock and can be contracted by humans through blood contact. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said it is most prevalent in Russia, Eastern Europe and the Congo.