An acute febrile disease caused by Rickettsia akari, which is transmitted from its rodent host by the house-mouse mite Liponyssoides sanguineus. An initial skin lesion at the site of a mite bite, often associated with lymphadenopathy, is followed by fever; a disseminated skin rash appears, which generally does not involve the palms and the soles, and lasts only a few days. Death is uncommon.