rickettsias

Variant of rickettsia

rickettsia definition

☆ rick·ett·sia (ri ket′sē ə)

noun pl. rickettsiae -·siae′ (-ē′) or rickettsias -·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

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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