What Is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?
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Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection carried by ticks. It leads to an illness that can cause severe damage to internal organs. RMSF is among the most serious of tick-borne diseases and can be fatal.
The disease was originally identified in the U.S. Rocky Mountains, hence its name. However, it is more frequently found in the southeastern region of the U.S. It also occurs in some parts of Canada, as well as in South and Central America.
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1. Transmission
There are several varieties of tick responsible for transmitting the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsia, which causes RMSF. The bite from an infected American dog tick, brown dog tick or Rocky Mountain wood tick can infect the person bitten.
It can take anywhere from six to 10 hours for enough of the bacteria from the tick to get into your system. Many people who contract the illness are unaware that they were bitten. Once the bacteria are in your blood, they reproduce and spread through the lymphatic system.
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