Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Moun·tain spotted fever 'räk-ē-'mau̇nt-ən- n an acute bacterial disease that is characterized by chills, fever, prostration, pains in muscles and joints, and a red purple eruption and that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Rickettsia (R. rickettsii) usu. transmitted by ixodid ticks and esp. by the American dog tick and Rocky Mountain wood tick

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an acute, infectious, sometimes fatal disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, usually transmitted by the bite of an infected tick such as Dermacentor andersoni or D. variabilis; it occurs only in North and South America. It is characterized by sudden onset; chills; fever lasting 2 to 3 weeks; a cutaneous rash that appears early and spreads from the limbs upwards onto the trunk and face; myalgias; severe headache; and prostration. Called also tick-borne typhus. Several diseases observed in other places were found to be this, such as Brazilian spotted fever, Colombian tick fever, and pinta fever.

Petechial rash of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.


Medical dictionary. 2011.

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — ☆ Rocky Mountain spotted fever n. [from being first discovered in the ROCKY MOUNTAINS] an acute infectious disease caused by a rickettsia (Rickettsia rickettsii), transmitted to human beings by certain ticks (esp. genus Dermacentor), and… …   English World dictionary

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — DiseaseDisorder infobox Name = PAGENAME Caption = Petechial rash caused by rocky mountain spotted fever on the arm ICD10 = ICD10|A|77|0|a|75 ICD9 = ICD9|082.0 ICDO = OMIM = DiseasesDB = 31130 MedlinePlus = 000654 eMedicineSubj = emerg… …   Wikipedia

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — Pathol. an infectious disease characterized by high fever, pains in joints, bones, and muscles, and a cutaneous eruption, caused by rickettsii and transmitted by ticks: first reported in the Rocky Mountain area, but now more widely distributed.… …   Universalium

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) — An acute febrile (feverish) disease initially recognized in the Rocky Mountain states, caused by Rickettsia rickettsii transmitted by hard shelled (ixodid) ticks. Occurs only in the Western Hemisphere. Anyone frequenting tick infested areas is at …   Medical dictionary

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — spotted fever; = tick fever a disease of rodents and other small mammals in the USA caused by the microorganism Rickettsia rickettsii and transmitted to humans by ticks. Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, and a profuse reddish rash like that… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — noun see spotted fever …   English new terms dictionary

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — noun caused by rickettsial bacteria and transmitted by wood ticks • Syn: ↑mountain fever, ↑tick fever • Hypernyms: ↑spotted fever …   Useful english dictionary

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — noun a disease of the typhus rickettsia group characterised by high fever, pains in joints, bones, and muscles, and a cutaneous eruption, and caused by rickettsia transmitted by ticks. It was first found in the Rocky Mountains area, North America …  

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — noun Date: 1905 an acute disease that is characterized by chills, fever, prostration, pains in muscles and joints, and a red to purple eruption and that is caused by a rickettsia (Rickettsia rickettsii) usually transmitted by an ixodid tick and… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever — a disease of rodents and other small mammals in the USA caused by the microorganism Rickettsia rickettsii and transmitted to humans by ticks. Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, and a profuse reddish rash like that of measles. If untreated the… …   Medical dictionary

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