Rocky Mountain spotted fever

noun

: 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 rickettsial bacteria (Rickettsia rickettsii) usually transmitted by an ixodid tick and especially the American dog tick, brown dog tick, or a wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

This tick transmits the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. —Nancy Clanton, ajc, 3 May 2019

Cases of Lyme disease, Powassan virus; spotted fever rickettsiosis, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and tularemia all increased last year. —Ashley Welch, CBS News, 14 Nov. 2018

According to a report published in 2018 by the CDC, diseases caused by the bites of ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas have tripled in the United States since the mid-2000s.11 Those diseases include Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever from ticks. —Claire Gillespie, Health, 31 Mar. 2023

These pests can transmit a number of serious diseases to your dog, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2022

Fleas can transmit tapeworms and certain types of ticks can transmit Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. —Jenny Krane, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2022

According to the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation, ticks can carry diseases such as ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. —Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2022

For example, American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis), which spread diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, thrive in grassy areas. —Kat Eschner, Scientific American, 7 July 2022

The last type are the American dog and brown dog ticks, which are all over the state, Hill said, and can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever. —Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 31 May 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

noun

: a disease that is caused by a bacterium passed on by the bite of a tick and that is characterized by chills, fever, headache, pains in the muscles and joints, and a red to purple rash

Medical Definition

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

noun

Rocky Moun·​tain spotted fever ˈräk-ē-ˈmau̇nt-ᵊn- 

: 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) usually transmitted by ixodid ticks and especially by the American dog tick, brown dog tick, and Rocky Mountain wood tick