rickettsia
/rɪˈkɛtsiə/
noun
- A type of tiny bacterium that lives inside the cells of insects, ticks, or mites and can cause diseases such as typhus in humans.
- Scientists study rickettsia under special microscopes because they are too small to see with ordinary equipment.
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by a species of rickettsia.
- Rickettsia are spread to humans through the bites of infected ticks and lice.