Definition of Rocky Mountain spotted fever:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a disease brought on by a type of bacteria carried by ticks.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii (R. Rickettsii), which is carried by ticks. The bacteria spread to humans through a tick bite.

In the western United States, the bacteria are carried by the wood tick, and in the eastern U.S. they are carried by the dog tick. Other ticks spread the infection in the southern U.S. and in Central and South America.

Contrary to the name "Rocky Mountain," most recent cases have been reported in the eastern United States, including North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Most cases occur in the spring and summer. About 2,300 cases were reported in 2006. Most of the reported cases have been in children.

Risk factors include recent hiking or exposure to ticks in an area where the disease is known to occur. The bacteria are unlikely to be transmitted to a person by a tick that has been attached for less than 20 hours. Only about 1 in 1,000 wood and dog ticks carry the bacteria. Bacteria can also infect people who crush ticks they have removed from pets with their bare fingers.