Detection of Orientia spp. Bacteria in Field-Collected Free-Living Eutrombicula Chigger Mites, United States

Scrub typhus, a rickettsial disease caused by Orientia spp., is transmitted by infected larval trombiculid mites (chiggers). We report the molecular detection of Orientia species in free-living Eutrombicula chiggers collected in an area in North Carolina, USA, to which spotted fever group rickettsiae infections are endemic.

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This study reports the molecular detection of Orientia species in free-living Eutrombicula chiggers collected in an area in North Carolina, USA, where spotted fever group rickettsiae infections are endemic. Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia spp., is a rickettsial disease transmitted by infected larval trombiculid mites (chiggers).