Rose spots are red macules 2-4 millimeters in diameter occurring in patients with
enteric fever
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
(which includes
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
and
paratyphoid
Paratyphoid fever, also known simply as paratyphoid, is a bacterial infection caused by one of the three types of ''Salmonella enterica''. Symptoms usually begin 6–30 days after exposure and are the same as those of typhoid fever. Often, a grad ...
). These
fever
Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...
s occur following infection by ''Salmonella typhi'' and ''Salmonella paratyphi'' respectively. Rose spots may also occur following invasive non-typhoid
salmonellosis
Salmonellosis, more commonly known as food poisoning is a symptomatic infection caused by bacteria of the ''Salmonella'' type. It is also a food-borne disease and are defined as diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused
by a ...
.
Rose spots are bacterial
emboli
An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule ( fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid ( amni ...
to the skin and occur in approximately 1/3 of cases of typhoid fever. They are one of the classic signs of untreated disease, but can also be seen in other illnesses as well including shigellosis and nontyphoidal salmonellosis. They appear as a
rash
A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture.
A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cr ...
between the seventh and twelfth day from the onset of symptoms. They occur in groups of five to ten lesions on the lower chest and upper abdomen, and they are more numerous following paratyphoid infection.
Rose spots typically last three to four days.
References
* ''Gale's Encyclopedia of Medicine'', published by Thomas Gale in 1999,
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose Spots
Medical signs