Rocky Mountain spotted fever is commonly associated with flu-like symptoms and which rash?

• A. Lyme disease
• B. Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• C. Mononucleosis
• D. Malaria

Answer: (B)

Rocky Mountain spotted fever has a distinctive rash that comes with flu‑like symptoms. The rash is typically petechial—tiny red or purple spots caused by tiny bleedings under the skin. It often starts on the wrists and ankles and then spreads toward the trunk, and it may appear a bit later in the illness or be subtle early on. This pattern helps set it apart from other illnesses with different rash types: Lyme disease shows a bull’s‑eye erythema migrans at the bite site, mononucleosis can sometimes have a non-specific rash (often if antibiotics are given), and malaria usually lacks a characteristic rash. So the rash linked with Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a petechial, spread-out pattern that accompanies the flu-like syndrome.