Definition of Fever, Rocky Mountain spotted (RMSF)
Fever, Rocky Mountain spotted (RMSF) definition - medical term
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 risk for RMSF.
T he onset of symptoms is abrupt with headache, high fever, chills, muscle pain.
and then a rash. The rickettsiae grow within damaged cells lining blood vessels
which may become blocked by clots. Blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis) is widespread.
Early recognition of RMSF and prompt antibiotic treatment is important in reducing
mortality.
The first person to describe the disease was an ear, nose and throat specialist,
Edward Ernest Maxey. Maxey reported the disease in 1899. Seven years later, a pathologist
named Howard Taylor Ricketts showed that it was transmitted by a tick bite. The
agent that causes the disease was named for him -- Rickettsia rickettsii.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is also called spotted fever, tick fever, and tick
typhus.
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