scrub typhus

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scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease) (skrub) n. a disease, widely distributed in SE Asia, caused by the parasitic microorganism Rickettsia tsutsugamushi and transmitted to humans through the bite of mites. Symptoms include headache, chills, high temperature, a red rash, a cough, and delirium. A small ulcer forms at the site of the bite. Scrub typhus is treated with tetracycline antibiotics. See also rickettsiae, typhus.

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