effective against R. rickettsii. Rapid improvement of
symptoms confirms the diagnosis before BLOOD
tests are able to do the same.
Most people fully recover with appropriate
antibiotic treatment. However, Rocky Mountain
spotted fever is life threatening for people who
have G 6 PD DEFICIENCY, an inherited condition in
which there is a lack of an enzyme important for
maintaining red blood cells (erythrocytes). Age
extremes (very young or very old) and chronic
ALCOHOLISM are other factors that increase the
severity of illness. Delayed treatment of Rocky
Mountain spotted fever often results in multiple
organ failure, requiring intensive medical treat-
ment and a long recovery.
See also BACTERIA;ERYTHROCYTE; GENETIC DISOR-
DERS; HUMAN EHRLICHIOSIS.
rubella An illness resulting from INFECTIONwith
the rubella virus, a member of the Rubivirusviral
family. Rubella, also called three-day MEASLES or
German measles (because German researchers
were the first to identify rubella as an illness sepa-
rate from measles), is a mild course of illness in
most people. However, the infection can cause
serious BIRTH DEFECTS, collectively called congenital
rubella syndrome, in a developing FETUSwhen a
pregnant woman becomes infected during the first
trimester of PREGNANCY.
Rubella is fairly contagious and spreads prima-
rily through droplet inhalation (airborne transmis-
sion). The INCUBATION PERIODis 14 to 21 days, after
which most people experience low-grade FEVER;
LYMPHADENOPATHY(swollen LY M P Hnodes); and a red,
slightly bumpy RASHthat begins on the face and
spreads to cover the entire body. Adults who get
rubella often have PAINand inflammation in the
joints that continues for up to six weeks after
other symptoms abate. Infection conveys lifelong
IMMUNITY.
Rubella is among the diseases for which chil-
dren in the United States receive routine IMMU-
NIZATION. This is particularly important because of
the risk rubella infection presents to the unborn
fetus. Congenital rubella syndrome affects about
90 percent of babies born to women who contract
rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy. The
syndrome’s key features are- HEARING LOSS, often profound (deafness)
- cataracts, GLAUCOMA, and RETINOPATHY
- pulmonary artery stenosis, ventral septal defect
(VSD), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and
other HEARTanomalies
- pulmonary artery stenosis, ventral septal defect
- impaired immune function
- early childhood development of type 1 DIABETES
Congenital rubella syndrome often causes life-
long health problems for affected children.
See also CATARACT; CATARACT EXTRACTION AND LENS
REPLACEMENT; CHILDHOOD DISEASES; CONGENITAL HEART
DISEASE; MEASLES; MUMPS; PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE
AND IMMUNIZATIONS; SCARLET FEVER.rubella 351