spotted fever

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. any of several fevers characterized by spots on the skin, especially as in cerebrospinal meningitis or typhus fever.

2. tick fever.

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spotted fever British  

noun

1. any of various severe febrile diseases characterized by small irregular spots on the skin, as in Rocky Mountain spotted fever or tick fever

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Etymology

Origin of spotted fever

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

The man was ultimately in the hospital for 22 days, including 11 in the intensive care unit with a primary diagnosis of rocky mountain spotted fever and a secondary diagnosis of acute kidney injury.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

Doxycycline, a cheap antibiotic that has been available for more than 40 years, is a treatment for health problems including acne, chlamydia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

From Washington Times • Oct. 2, 2023

Researchers have found that many of Staten Island’s Gulf Coast ticks carry a pathogen that causes a form of spotted fever.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2023

Also check your dogs because dog ticks can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can also infect humans.

From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2023

Then there were all the diseases one is vulnerable to in the woods—giardiasis, eastern equine encephalitis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, schistosomiasis, brucellosis, and shigellosis, to offer but a sampling.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson