Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute, potentially life-threatening tick-borne infection caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium *Rickettsia rickettsii*

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute, potentially life-threatening tick-borne infection caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium *Rickettsia rickettsii* Clinically, it manifests with sudden-onset high fever, severe headache, malaise, and myalgias, characteristically followed by a centripetally spreading maculopapular to petechial rash that involves the wrists, ankles, palms, and soles

The organism primarily infects and damages vascular endothelial cells throughout the systemic circulation, leading to widespread microvascular inflammation, increased vascular permeability, and tissue necrosis Clinically, it manifests with sudden-onset high fever, severe headache, malaise, and myalgias, characteristically followed by a centripetally spreading maculopapular to petechial rash that involves the wrists, ankles, palms, and soles

Clinically, it manifests with sudden-onset high fever, severe headache, malaise, and myalgias, characteristically followed by a centripetally spreading maculopapular to petechial rash that involves the wrists, ankles, palms, and soles If unrecognized, the resulting vascular injury can rapidly progress to multisystem organ failure, including noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, and central nervous system involvement