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Created page with '===Rocky Mountain spotted fever=== *Caused by ''Rickettsia rickettsii'' *Affects humans and dogs *Various tick vectors, which acquire the organism from small mammals *Transovari…'
===Rocky Mountain spotted fever===

*Caused by ''Rickettsia rickettsii''
*Affects humans and dogs
*Various tick vectors, which acquire the organism from small mammals
*Transovarial and trans-stadial transmission within the tick population
*Organisms replicate in endothelial cells of infected dogs, cause vasculitis, increased vascular permeability and haemorrhage

*Clinical signs
**Incubation period 2-10 days; course less than 2 weeks
*Fever, depression, conjunctivitis, retinal haemorrhage, muscle and joint pain, coughing, dyspnoea, oedema of extremities
*Neurological signs in dogs include stupor, ataxia, neck rigidity, seizures and coma
*Death from cardiovascular, neurological or renal damage in severely-affected animals
*Gross pathology includes haemorrhage, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy

*Diagnosis
**Rising antibody titre during an indirect fluorescent antibody test or ELISA
**Thrombocytopenia and leukopenia during early phase

*Treatment and control
**Tetracycline therapy for two weeks
**Tick removal from dogs
[[Category:Rickettsiales]][[Category:Dog]]
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