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

See Examples For:

spotted fever

Human infections are rare but could be underreported because Rickettsia lanei symptoms are very similar to those of rocky mountain spotted fever, said Janet Foley, veterinarian and disease ecologist at UC Davis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

In the case of tick-borne diseases, for example, Beard noted that the geographic ranges have already expanded in recent years for ticks that spread Lyme, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and spotted fever rickettsiosis.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday the deaths of three people in California from Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 9, 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

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