CausesBy Mayo Clinic staff CLICK TO ENLARGE |Types of ticks|
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by infection with the
organism Rickettsia rickettsii. Ticks carrying R. rickettsii are
the most common source of infection. If an infected tick
attaches itself to your skin and feeds on your blood, you may
pick up the infection. It's also possible — but unusual — to
catch Rocky Mountain spotted fever when blood from an infected
tick gets into broken skin or comes in contact with the mucous
membrane in your mouth, nose or eyes. Rocky Mountain spotted
fever primarily occurs when ticks are most active and during
warm weather when people tend to spend more time outdoors. Rocky
Mountain spotted fever cannot be spread from person to person. -
Rocky Mountain spotted fever: Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/symptoms/index.html. Accessed July 15,
2011. - Bolgiano EB, et al. Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In:
Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and
Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Phila