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==Cause== [[Image:Life cycle of ticks family ixodidae.PNG|upright=1.3|thumb|The lifecycle of ''Dermacentor variabilis'' and ''Dermacentor andersoni'' ticks (family [[Ixodidae]])]] [[File:Dermacentor variabilis range map.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|[[American dog tick]] (''Dermacentor variabilis'') range]] [[File:Dermacentor andersoni range map.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|[[Rocky Mountain wood tick]] (''Dermacentor andersoni'') range]] Ticks are the natural hosts of the disease, serving as both reservoirs and vectors of ''[[Rickettsia rickettsii|R. rickettsii]]''. Ticks transmit the bacteria primarily by their bites. Less commonly, infections may occur following exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or tick feces.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} A female tick can transmit ''R. rickettsii'' to her eggs in a process called [[transovarial transmission]]. Ticks can also become infected with ''R. rickettsii'' while feeding on blood from the host in either the larval or nymphal stage. After the tick develops into the next stage, the ''R. rickettsii'' may be transmitted to the second host during the feeding process. Furthermore, male ticks may transfer ''R. rickettsii'' to female ticks through body fluids or [[spermatozoa]] during the mating process. These types of transmission represent how generations or life stages of infected ticks are maintained. Once infected, the tick can carry the pathogen for life.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Rickettsiae are transmitted through saliva injected while a tick is feeding. Unlike Lyme disease and other tick-borne pathogens that require a prolonged attachment period to establish infection, a person can become infected with ''R. rickettsii'' in a feeding time as short as 2 hours.<ref>{{cite journal| pmc=4178383 | pmid=25148391 | doi=10.3201/eid2009.140189 | volume=20 | issue=9 | title=Feeding period required by Amblyomma aureolatum ticks for transmission of Rickettsia rickettsii to vertebrate hosts | year=2014 |vauthors=Saraiva DG, Soares HS, Soares JF, Labruna MB | journal=Emerg Infect Dis | pages=1504–10}}</ref> In general, about 1-3% of the tick population carries ''R. rickettsii'', even in areas where the majority of human cases are reported. Therefore, the risk of exposure to a tick carrying ''R. rickettsii'' is low.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} The disease is spread by the [[American dog tick]] (''Dermacentor variabilis''), [[Rocky Mountain wood tick]] (''D. andersoni''), [[brown dog tick]] (''Rhipicephalus sanguineus''), and ''[[Amblyomma sculptum]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Reassessment of the taxonomic status of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) with the description of three new species, Amblyomma tonelliae n. sp., Amblyomma interandinum n. sp. and Amblyomma patinoi n. sp., and reinstatement of Amblyomma mixtum Koch, 1844, and Amblyomma sculptum Berlese, 1888 (Ixodida: Ixodidae)|journal=Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases|volume=5|issue=3|pages=252–76|year=2014|pmid=24556273|last1=Nava|first1=S.|last2=Beati|first2=L.|last3=Labruna|first3=M. B.|last4=Cáceres|first4=A. G.|last5=Mangold|first5=A. J.|last6=Guglielmone|first6=A. A.|doi=10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.11.004|hdl=11336/31257|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/faq.html#whatis |title=Tickborne Rickettsial Diseases |publisher=Centers for Disease Control |work=Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever |date=2018-10-26 }}</ref> Not all of these are of equal importance, and most are restricted to certain geographic areas.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} The two major vectors of ''R. rickettsii'' in the United States are the American dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick. American dog ticks are widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains and they also occur in limited areas along the Pacific Coast. Dogs and medium-sized mammals are the preferred hosts of an adult American dog tick, although it feeds readily on other large mammals, including [[human being]]s. This tick is the most commonly identified species responsible for transmitting ''R. rickettsii'' to humans. Rocky Mountain wood ticks (''D. andersoni'') are found in the Rocky Mountain states and in southwestern [[Canada]]. The lifecycle of this tick may require up to three years for its completion. The adult ticks feed primarily on large mammals. The larvae and nymphs feed on small rodents.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Other tick species have been shown to be naturally infected with ''R. rickettsii'' or serve as experimental vectors in the laboratory. These species are likely to play only a minor role in the ecology of ''R. rickettsii''.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
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