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Answer to Mystery Diagnosis #2:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a disease that is caused by the bacteria, Rickettsia rickettsii, carried by ticks.  The bacterium is spread to humans by a tick bite.   

Most recent cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever have been reported in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. 

Most cases occur in the spring and summer months.  In 2006, approximately 2,300 cases were reported in the United States. 

Risk factors include hiking or camping in heavily wooded areas. 

Signs and Symptoms

-         Chills

-         Confusion

-         Fever

-         Headache

-         Muscle pain

-         Rash – rash usually first appears on wrists and ankles with spots that are 1 – 5 mm in diameter

Serious complications can occur such as; brain damage, heart failure, kidney failure, meningitis, pneumonitis, shock, and lung failure.  Paralysis, hearing loss, and nerve damage can also occur. 

Tests to detect RMSF:

-         Antibody titer

-         Complete blood count (CBC)

-         Kidney function tests

-         Partial thromboplastin time (PPT)

-         Prothrombin time (PT)

-         Urinalysis

-         Skin biopsy

If RMSF is left untreated it can become life-threatening and fatal.   About 3% of people who get this disease will die. 

Watch out for those tick bites! Make sure if you are out camping or hiking you take extra precautions because RMSF is known to occur in ticks located in Virginia.  Wear long pants, shirts, closed toed shoes, and tick repellent.  

“Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever – PubMed Health.”  Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  9 June 2011.  

 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH00001677/>