rickettsia

[ ri-ket-see-uh ]

noun

, plural rick·ett·si·ae [ri-, ket, -see-ee], rick·ett·si·as [ri-, ket, -see-, uh, z].

1. any member of the genus Rickettsia, comprising rod-shaped to coccoid microorganisms that resemble bacteria but can be as small as a large virus and reproduce only inside a living cell, parasitic in fleas, ticks, lice, and mites and transmitted by bite to vertebrate hosts, including humans, causing such severe diseases as typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
2. any rickettsia or rickettsialike microorganism of the orders Rickettsiales and Chlamydiales.

rickettsia

/ rɪˈkɛtsɪə /

noun

1. any of a group of parasitic bacteria that live in the tissues of ticks, mites, and other arthropods, and cause disease when transmitted to man and other animals

Derived Forms

• rickˈettsial, adjective

Other Words From

• rick·ettsi·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rickettsia¹

1915–20; < New Latin, after Howard T. Ricketts (1871–1910), U.S. pathologist; -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of rickettsia¹

C20: named after Howard T. Ricketts (1871–1910), US pathologist

Example Sentences

Not all tick species are effective transmitters of the rickettsia bacteria.

From Salon

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tickborne disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From US News

The forgotten inventory, according the FDA, includes an assortment of infectious biological pathogens, including “dengue, influenza, Q fever and rickettsia,” some of which qualify as potential bioterror agents.

From Salon

FDA officials say the vials list the names of other contagious viruses and bacteria, including dengue, influenza and rickettsia.

From Washington Times

The plan was to have it split a single drop of blood into a dozen fractions to test for flu, malaria, typhoid, dengue, measles, rickettsia, salmonella and other infections, all within 30 minutes.

From New York Times