Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Causative Agent: Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri & Rickettsia philipii
Type of Organism: Rickettsia Bacterial Species
Length of Attachment for Transmission: 6 Hours

Symptoms may begin 2-12 days after exposure
Non-specific symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea, vomiting may be occur first followed by a rapid progression into more severe and life threatening illnesses.
A spotted rash varying in presentation will occur in a majority of patients.
If left untreated, amputation may be necessary due to blood vessel damage.
In severe cases, mental and physical disability may occur.

Skin biopsies may be tested using an immunostaining technique to confirm the presence of Rickettsial species.
When testing for antibodies specific to Rickettsial species, Indirect Immunofluorescence Assays (IFA) are performed on two samples.

The first sample is collected within 7 days of infection and will be compared to the second sample collected 2-4 weeks after infection.

When testing for antibodies specific to Rickettsial species, Indirect Immunofluorescence Assays (IFA) are performed on two samples.
Rickettsial species will be diagnosed if the second sample shows the number of antibodies present has increased since the first sample was tested.
A false negative is possible in the first 7-10 days of illness and will commonly occur when the first sample is tested.
Blood test results of low platelet count, low sodium levels, or elevated liver enzyme levels can assist with diagnosis.

If antibiotic treatment is not provided within the first few days of infection, significant mortality rates of 20-30% are seen.

Rickettsial species will infect cells that line blood vessels causing vascular inflammation known as Rickettsial vasculitis.

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