Ep 9: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rickettsia rickettsii, and the Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana

🏔️🧬In this episode, join us as we uncover the secrets of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), exploring its biology, history, and epidemiology with a special emphasis on the fearless disease detectives who ventured into the Wild West, particularly in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. From the pioneering work of Dr. Howard T. Ricketts to the groundbreaking research by Drs. Roscoe Spencer and Ralph Parker who produced the first effective vaccine against the disease by emulsifying infected tick tissue and inactivating the rickettsiae with phenol, we cover it all. Citations: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430881/ https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/rocky-mountain-history https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/rocky-mountain-history https://thispodcastwillkillyou.com/2020/08/04/episode-55-rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-the-tick-must-be-destroyed/ https://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/index.html