"Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - Its Causes and How It's Treated"

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick borne disease that was first identified in 1896 in the Snake River Valley of Idaho.

It was originally known as "black measles" because of the color of the rash in its late stages, when it often turns black. Back then; it was a dreaded, deadly disease killing hundreds of people in Idaho.

By the early 1900, it was found in other Western states including Washington, Montana, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

The United States government responded to this health problem by sending a University of Chicago pathologist named Dr. Howard T. Rickets to the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, where the disease was very prominent.

This preliminary work by Dr. Rickets laid the foundation for what later became the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana.

On this page, I give an overview of RMSF, its symptoms and causes, and how it can be treated.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by a bacterium known as Rickettsia rickettsii.

This type of bacterium is usually carried by certain types of ticks, and is usually spread to humans by a tick bite.

These bacteria circulate in the fluids of a tick, and, if the tick is squeezed, the fluid may come into contact with you or another person and may cause an infection.

These tics can be found anywhere on your body, but are usually found in your hair, ankles, and around your genital area.

Once the tick is embedded in your skin, it can cause a small, hard lump that is surrounded by a red ring.

A family of ticks known as lxodidaeor hard ticks carries the bacterium that causes RMSF.

These ticks can be found in the bushes and tall grasses of wooded areas and are more prevalent in late spring and early summer.

In the western parts of the United States, it is transmitted by the wood tick, whereas in the eastern United States, the American dog tick transmits it.

In other parts of the world, other ticks, including the lone star tick and the brown dog tick, transmit it.

More than half of all cases of RMSF occur in the mid-Atlantic and southern states including, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

However, it has been found in every state in the U.S.

Anywhere from 3 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected tick, you will begin to notice symptoms. Some of the preliminary symptoms you may experience include a headache, a loss of appetite and nausea.

As it progresses, you may subsequently experience chills, a high fever, tenderness in your bones and muscles, along with abdominal pain and vomiting. You may also notice a cough, while feeling dazed and lethargic.

After 3 to 5 days have elapsed, you may notice a red rash on your wrists, hands, ankles and soles of your feet. As the condition progresses, the rash may spread to other parts of your body. In some individuals, the color of the rash can deepen after a few days.

After a week, in serious cases, an individual may experience trouble breathing and sleeping and may appear incoherent at times. It is also possible that areas of gangrene develop in various locations on the hands and feet.

Some of the complications you may experience include:

• Brain damage
• Difficulty moving
• Hearing loss
• Heart, lung or kidney failure
• Meningitis
• Partial paralysis of the legs
• Problems with blood clotting
• Shock

Treatment for Rocky Mountain spotted fever involves removal of the tick, followed by administration of antibiotics including doxycycline or tetracycline or chloramphenicol to eliminate the infection.

It is important to treat the infection as soon as possible, as the infection can spread and progress to a more serious condition, possibly a fatal one.

Your doctor will usually stop administration of antibiotics, 2 to 3 days after a person's temperature returns to normal and remains there for 24-hour period.

The likelihood of dying from this condition is low with epidemiological death rates ranging from 3 to 5%.

However, it increases from 13 to 25% in untreated individuals.

Death typically occurs in those people in whom the diagnosis isn't made until the second week of the illness.

By treating the condition early with antibiotics, the disease duration is greatly shortened with a decreased risk of death.

• When walking in wooded or grassy areas, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Walk only on marked trails, avoiding the bushy areas and tall grasses.
• Use an insect repellent. Products that contain DEET or permethrin often repel ticks.
• Check yourself and your pets often for ticks, particularly after hiking in wooded or grassy areas.
• When you remove the tick, be sure to use tweezers. Grasp the tick near its mouth and pull slowly and steadily. After removing the tick, apply antiseptic to the area.
• Check your clothing often for the presence of any ticks.
• When walking on trails, walk near the center of them so that weeds or tall grasses do not brush against you.
• If you let your pets outdoors, you should check them often for ticks.
• Make sure that the lawn around your house doesn't attract ticks, by keeping your grass mowed and weeded.

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RMSF occurs throughout the United States from the months of April through September. And although the disease was first discovered in the Rocky Mountain area, that area has relatively few cases today.

If left untreated, it can develop into a serious condition requiring hospitalization, with potential fatal consequences.

So if you like to venture into the great outdoors, use caution, checking yourself often for the presence of ticks. Many times, if the tick is removed within the first 24 hours of attachment, you can avoid being infected.

But if you do become infected, early diagnosis and treatment can usually cure this condition.

Nonetheless, have fun this summer as you enjoy being outdoors.