n.
An acute infectious disease that is caused by a microorganism (Rickettsia rickettsii) transmitted by ticks, is characterized by muscular pains, high fever, and skin eruptions, and is endemic throughout North America.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.