Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Rocky mountain spotted fever, lesions on arm

Deer ticks

Ticks

Rocky mountain spotted fever on the arm

Tick imbedded in the skin

Rocky mountain spotted fever on the foot

Rocky mountain spotted fever, petechial rash

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Definition:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an infectious disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii transmitted to humans by the bite of a tick.

Alternative Names:
Spotted fever
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

In the western U.S., the causative agent, R. rickettsii, is transmitted by the wood tick, and in the eastern U.S., by the dog tick. Other ticks transmit the infection in the southern U.S. and in Central and South America.

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Contrary to the name "Rocky Mountain," most recent cases have been reported in the eastern United States: North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Most cases occur in the spring and summer with about 1,000 cases reported per year. Most of the reported cases have been in children.

The risk factors include recent hiking or exposure to ticks in an area where the disease is known to occur.