Other spotted fevers

[Agnes]

Various rickettsiae, transmitted by ticks, cause spotted fevers similar to but milder than Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They cause a small sore at the site of the tick bite, swelling in nearby lymph nodes, and a red rash.

Spotted fevers develop when a tick carrying the infection bites a person.
The infection causes a fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and headaches, usually followed a few days later by a rash.
Avoiding tick bites is the best way to prevent the infection.
Spotted fevers are treated with an antibiotic.

Rickettsiae are a type of bacteria that can live only inside the cells of other organisms.
Spotted fevers include the following:

African tick bite fever (African tick typhus)
Mediterranean spotted fever (boutonneuse fever)
North Asian tick-borne rickettsiosis
Queensland tick typhus
Rickettsialpox
Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis

Like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, other spotted fevers may occur in the United States and other parts of the world (see table Some Rickettsial and Related Infections). These infections occur mainly in the spring and summer, when adult ticks are active and people are likely to be in tick-infested areas. In warmer climates, the disease may occur throughout the year. Mediterranean spotted fever can occur year-round in the Mediterranean region because it is transmitted by the brown dog tick and thus may be acquired indoors.