An infected American dog tick An infected tick (the American dog tick or the lone-star tick)
Email Article. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a disease transmitted by ticks and is most prevalent in the east coast, midwest, and plains regions. Rocky Mountain spotted fever affects dogs and humans. Through blood tests, it has been demonstrated that cats may also become infected, but the disease in cats is minimal Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is considered the most severe tick-borne disease in the US, with a high mortality rate among untreated cases. RMSF has a disease presence in Florida, with the number of cases increasing in the summer months. The American dog tick is the main transmitter in Florida. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently identified the brown dog tick as a vector for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in the southwestern United States and along the Mexican border. Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), also known as blue disease, is the most lethal and most frequently reported rickettsial illness in the United States. It has been diagnosed throughout the Americas. The disease is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a species of bacterium that is spread to humans by Dermacentor ticks. Initial signs and symptoms of the disease include sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle pain, followed by development of rash. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is spread by the bite of an infected tick (the American dog tick or the lone-star tick) or by contamination of the skin with tick blood or feces. Person-to-person transmission does not occur. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is an acute infectious disease transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tick. The disease occurs throughout the United States during months when ground temperatures reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit or more and ticks are active. The first symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) typically begin 2-14 days after the bite of an infected tick. A tick bite is usually painless and about half of the people who develop RMSF do not remember being bitten.  Types of ticks. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by infection with the organism Rickettsia rickettsii. Ticks carrying R. rickettsii are the most common source of infection. If an infected tick attaches itself to your skin and feeds on your blood for six to 10 hours, you may pick up the infection Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick-borne disease caused by a rickettsia (a microbe that differs somewhat from bacteria and virus). Fewer than 50 cases are reported annually in New York State.  Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a disease caused by a bacterium called Rickettsia rickettsii. It is transmitted to humans most often by the bite of an infected American dog tick, but the Rocky Mountain wood tick and the brown dog tick have also caused the disease. 
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2102&aid=472 http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/families_and_consumers/ticks_and_disease.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_spotted_fever http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbrmsf.htm http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/symptoms/index.html http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/basics/causes/CON-20032780 https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/fact_sheet.htm http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/factsheets/pdf/rmsf.pdf
what kind of tick has rocky mountain spotted fever