Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a potentially severe infection caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii and spread through bites from infected ticks.

Rickettsia rickettsii: A bacterium that lives inside host cells and causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This intracellular bacterium invades blood-vessel lining cells and causes the disease.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever rash: A rash that often begins on wrists and ankles and may spread to the trunk and palms or soles. Its timing and distribution can support suspicion, but it may be absent early.
Howard Taylor Ricketts: An American pathologist who investigated Rocky Mountain spotted fever and identified its bacterial cause. His research established the infectious agent and linked ticks to transmission.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the United States: The occurrence and public-health burden of Rocky Mountain spotted fever across the United States. Reported cases are concentrated in several regions outside the Rocky Mountains, including parts of the southeastern United States.
Tick-borne disease: An illness transmitted to people or animals through tick bites. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is one member of this broad group of infections.
Serology: Laboratory testing that detects antibodies in blood against a particular pathogen. Antibody tests often become informative only after the early phase of illness.
Rocky Mountain Laboratory: A National Institutes of Health research center in Montana, founded to study infectious diseases. Early investigations there helped define the disease and its transmission.
Tick bite prevention: Measures that reduce contact with ticks and lower the chance of tick-borne infection. Avoiding tick bites is the primary way to prevent Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Endothelial cell: A cell that lines the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Rickettsia rickettsii infection of these cells drives the disease’s vascular injury.
Polymerase chain reaction: A laboratory method that amplifies selected DNA sequences for detection or analysis. PCR can detect bacterial DNA in certain specimens, though a negative result cannot rule out disease.

Linked from 6 pages