ABSTRACT
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is the primary rickettsial spotted fever seen in North America. Related rickettsial spotted fevers are known by various names in Latin America: Sao Paolo typhus in Brazil, Fievre Manchada in Mexico, Fievre Petequal in Columbia, and Fievre Maculosa in other countries. In Britain, it is termed tick typhus. Although RMSF of North America appears to be identical to the spotted fevers of South America, the tickborne rickettsiosis of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia have all been termed tick typhus. These rickettsiae are all immunologically related to R. rickettsii, the agent of RMSF. They differ in clinical presentation from RMSF in having an ulcer or eschar present at the primary site of inoculation, in contrast to RMSF which has no ulcer or eschar [1,2].
