Rocky Mountain spotted fever
noun
: an acute disease that is characterized by chills, fever, prostration, pains in muscles and joints, and a red to purple eruption and that is caused by a rickettsial bacteria (Rickettsia rickettsii) usually transmitted by an ixodid tick and especially the American dog tick, brown dog tick, or a wood tick
Examples of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lyme disease, Powassan virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Heartland virus are just a few of them.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 16 Oct. 2024
Tick bites can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tick-borne relapsing fever.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024
This tick, along with the American dog tick and brown dog tick, can infect people with a potentially fatal disease called Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF).5
Where Do Ticks Bite?
The first thing the tick will likely do is look for a good spot to bite.
—Maria Masters, Health, 9 June 2024
The creatures’ bites can spread a range of rarer illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and alpha-gal syndrome.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 31 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 16 Oct. 2024
Tick bites can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tick-borne relapsing fever.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024
This tick, along with the American dog tick and brown dog tick, can infect people with a potentially fatal disease called Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF).5
Where Do Ticks Bite?
The first thing the tick will likely do is look for a good spot to bite.
—Maria Masters, Health, 9 June 2024
The creatures’ bites can spread a range of rarer illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and alpha-gal syndrome.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 31 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Cite this Entry
“Rocky Mountain spotted fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Rocky%20Mountain%20spotted%20fever. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
noun
Rocky Moun·tain spotted fever
ˈräk-ē-ˈmau̇nt-ᵊn- 
: an acute bacterial disease that is characterized by chills, fever, prostration, pains in muscles and joints, and a red purple eruption and that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Rickettsia (R. rickettsii) usually transmitted by ixodid ticks and especially by the American dog tick, brown dog tick, and Rocky Mountain wood tick
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share