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Rocky mountain spotted fever
Daniel J Sexton1, Keith S Kaye
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. sexto002@mc.duke.edu
The Medical Clinics of North America
|May 2, 2002
Abstract:
Rocky mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a fulminant tick-borne infection by Rickettsia rickettsii. The classical diagnostic triad is fever, headache and rash in a patient with a recent tick bite. With prompt, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, patient outcomes are excellent. However, RMSF is often misdiagnosed, particularly during the initial stages of illness, and as a result, patient outcomes are sometimes suboptimal.