What are spiders related to that can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?

The connection between spiders and the transmission of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is primarily through ticks, which are arachnids closely related to spiders. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii and is predominantly spread through the bites of infected ticks. Ticks and spiders belong to the same class of arthropods, known as Arachnida, sharing common evolutionary traits and anatomical features such as having eight legs. Understanding this relationship is crucial for grasping how diseases spread in the ecosystem, with ticks being the key vectors in this instance, rather than other arthropods like ants, beetles, or wasps.