[rĭ-ket′se-ə]
Genus of gram-negative, rod-shaped or coccoid bacteria that are transmitted by lice, fleas, ticks and mites. Named after American pathologist Howard Taylor Ricketts; despite the similar name, Rickettsia spp. do not cause rickets (from the Greek rhakhis, “spine”), a disorder of bone development caused by vitamin deficiency.
Source: Dorland’s illustrated medical dictionary.30th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2003.
Footnotes
Suggested Citation: Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006, May [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1109.ET1109