rickettsia
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
rick·ett′·sial adjective
Browse dictionary entries near rickettsia
- rickets
- Rickenbacker
- rick
- ricinolein
- ricinoleic acid
- ricin
- Richter scale
- Richter
- richness
- Richmond Fed Manufacturing Survey
