infectious diseases
Other Spotted Fever Rickettsioses
Introduction
Various rickettsiae transmitted by ixodid ticks cause spotted fever rickettsioses similar to but milder than Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Symptoms are an initial skin lesion, satellite adenopathy, and an erythematous maculopapular rash. (See also Overview of Rickettsial and Related Infections .) Spotted fever rickettsioses include North Asian tick-borne rickettsiosis, Queensland tick typhus, African tick typhus (African tick bite fever), Mediterranean spotted fever (boutonneuse fever), andRickettsia parkeririckettsiosis (transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick [Amblyomma maculatum]—see table). The causative agents belong to the spotted fever group of rickettsiae. The epidemiology of these tick-borne rickettsioses resembles that of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) (RMSF) in the Western Hemisphere. The arthropod vectors, with or without animal reservoirs, maintain these spotted fever rickettsia in nature. If humans intrude accidentally into the cycle, they become infected. In certain areas, the cycle of boutonneuse fever involves domiciliary environments, with the brown dog tick, 