Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Acquired in a Laboratory

Abstract

ROCKY Mountain spotted fever, first recognized in Montana in 1873, has now been reported from at least 46 of the United States, and is a disease of significant prevalence and severity.¹ Ordinarily transmitted to man in the United States by the bite of 1 of 4 species of ticks, it has not been identified as a frequent cause of laboratory-acquired infection, and few laboratory cases have been reported.^{2 3 4 5} When such cases have occurred they have usually been attributed to the bite of a tick being handled in the laboratory.This series of 5 cases of laboratory-acquired Rocky Mountain spotted fever . . .