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rickettsia Definition

☆ rick·ett·sia (ri ket′sē ə)

noun pl. -·siae′-ē′ or -·sias

any of several families (esp. Rickettsiaceae) of Gram-negative bacteria that are the causative agents of certain diseases, as typhus or Rocky Mountain spotted fever: they are transmitted to animals and humans by the bite of certain lice, ticks, etc. in whose bodies they live as parasites

Etymology: ModL, after H. T. Ricketts (1871-1910), U.S. pathologist + -ia

rickettsia Related Forms
rick·ett′·sial adjective

Browse dictionary entries near rickettsia

  1. ‹ rickets
  2. ‹ Rickenbacker
  3. ‹ rick
  4. ‹ ricinolein
  5. ‹ ricinoleic acid
  6. ‹ ricin
  7. ‹ Richter scale
  8. ‹ Richter
  9. ‹ richness
  10. ‹ Richmond Fed Manufacturing Survey
  1. rickety ›
  2. rickey ›
  3. rickrack ›
  4. rickshaw ›
  5. ricky-tick ›
  6. RICO ›
  7. ricochet ›
  8. ricotta ›
  9. rictus ›
  10. rid ›