relapsing fever

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. one of a group of fevers characterized by relapses, occurring in many tropical countries, and caused by several species of spirochetes transmitted by several species of lice and ticks.

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relapsing fever British  

noun

1. Also called: recurrent fever.  any of various infectious diseases characterized by recurring fever, caused by the bite of body lice or ticks infected with spirochaetes of the genus Borrelia

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Etymology

Origin of relapsing fever

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Their work uncovered traces of two disease-causing pathogens -- those behind paratyphoid fever and relapsing fever -- which match the symptoms described in eyewitness records from that time.

From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2025

But these soft ticks now seem to be surprisingly free of the harmful pathogen, which causes a sometimes-fatal relapsing fever.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2017

Finally, after poring over my lab results from an infectious-disease doctor, I noticed something she had ignored: a past infection for tick-borne relapsing fever and Colorado tick fever.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2015

Last week Dr. Francis was recovering again after having proved that relapsing fever is carried by California ticks, that female ticks infect their progeny before birth.

From Time Magazine Archive

The numerous cases reported by various observers of relapsing fever occurring in pregnant women establish the rule that abortion almost invariably occurs, whatever may be the stage of the pregnancy.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various