Colorado tick fever or mountain tick fever, acute disease caused by infection with a double-stranded RNA virus (a Coltvirus) that is transmitted to humans by Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni), which can also transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. The disease, which may be mistaken for a generic viral infection, is endemic to parts of the W United States and Canada, especially mountainous regions. Symptoms include fever accompanied by headache and muscle ache, chills, nausea and vomiting, and a sensitivity to light. Symptoms typically begin three to six days after being bitten by an infected tick, last for about three days and subside, then return in many cases for a few more days. Complications, such as meningitis and encephalitis, are rare and occur mainly in children, but older adults often experience lingering fatigue and malaise for weeks or months. Nonaspirin analgesics and other treatments may be given for the symptoms; there is no vaccine.
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