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spotted fever

spotted fever

1 7.2
An illness caused by germs that gives you fever and a spotted skin rash
  • noun
  • /ˈspɑːtɪd ˈfiːvər/
translation icon : fiebre manchada
  • Well, at least he went quick, and he ain't going to suffer scurvy, dysentery, spotted fever, or the cholera not to mention them other maladies contracted in a consort with low women.
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • spotted fever group
  • spotted fever disease

Examples

  • Rickettsia sp. AvBat, a new genotype of spotted fever group rickettsiae, was detected and cultivated from 3 of the 5 ticks.

    Academic text (2012)
  • What soon followed was the establishment of a multidisciplinary public health program to control this newly identified disease, now called Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which was caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, and a search was conducted for other diseases in nature that resulted from the bite of pathogen-infected ticks.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The latter is a recently recognized rickettsial disease with symptoms resembling those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

    Academic text (1996)
  • So if a person, say has Rocky Mountain spotted fever, chances are pretty good that he's got spots that probably that he's been to the Rocky Mountains.

  • Most cases of scrub typhus and spotted fever caused by R. conorii (which we identified in 3 patients) can be treated effectively with doxycycline (36).

    Academic text (2015)
  • Ticks transmit the causative agents of a variety of serious human diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Samuel Buffett's impending spotted fever, though severe, will do him less damage, alas, than he has doubtless done to any one of the targets of his operations past and to come.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Several tick-borne diseases occur in Mississippi: Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Several tick-borne diseases occur in Mississippi (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, RMSF, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis).

    Academic text (1997)
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever is known for its characteristic skin rashes and high fever.

Synonyms

typhus
vsspotted fever
  • Specialized
12 8.6

A serious disease spread by lice or fleas that causes high fever, headache, and a skin rash

is the general group of spotted rash diseases not tied to one vector
scarlet fever
vsspotted fever
6 3.6

A contagious childhood disease that causes fever, sore throat, and a red rash

is the broader group for spotted rash illnesses not focused on childhood sore throat
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
vsspotted fever
  • Specialized
5.5

A serious disease from germs spread by tick bites that causes fever and a rash

is one example within a group of fever illnesses with spotted rashes
mountain fever
vsspotted fever
  • Specialized
7.3

A disease from tick bites that causes fever and a spotted rash

is the broad category covering several spotted rash illnesses rather than a single disease
boutonneuse fever
vsspotted fever
  • Indian
9.6

A disease spread by tick bites that causes fever and a spotted rash

is the general group name for various spotted rash illnesses not limited by region
typhus fever
vsspotted fever
  • Specialized
7.3

A serious infection spread by lice or fleas that causes high fever, headache, and a skin rash

is the broader group covering spotted rash illnesses beyond lice or flea spread

Surface Forms

spotted fever singular

Morphology

spotted + fever

The meaning 'a fever marked by spots or a spotted rash' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'spotted' (having spots) + 'fever' (an illness with raised temperature), so a B1 learner knowing both words can infer the MWE. This follows a straightforward adjective + noun pattern common across languages, although the term is somewhat medical/specific.

Etymology

Spotted fever comes from a simple picture: a sick person with a high temperature and many small spots on the skin, where spotted shows the spots and fever means the high temperature. So, spotted fever now means 'a disease with fever and a spotted skin rash'.