Emerg Infect DisEmerging Infect. DisEIDEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control and Prevention3373101ET-120210.3201/eid1202.ET1202News and NotesNews and NotesEtymologia: Orientia tsutsugamushiEtymologia: Orientia tsutsugamushiAddress for correspondence: EID Editor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop D61, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA; email: eideditor@cdc.gov22006122295295Keywords: EtymologyEtymologiaOrientia tsutsugamushi[or´´e-en´she-ə (t)süt´´sə-gə-mü´she]

Etiologic agent of scrub typhus, transmitted by the bite of thrombiculid mite larvae. From the Latin oriens, "east" and the Japanese tsutsuga, "sickness" plus mushi, "insect." The disease was first documented in China in 313 AD and has been a frequent cause of illness in soldiers stationed in the western Pacific. In Vietnam, O. tsutsugamushi was among the most common causes of fever in soldiers.

Sources: Dorland's illustrated medical dictionary. 30th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2003; Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield (MA): Merriam-Webster Incorporated; 2003; and Raoult D. Scrub typhus. In: Mandel GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, editors. Principles & Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Churchill Livingstone; 2004. p. 2309-10.

Suggested Citation: Etymologia: Orientia tsutsugamushi. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006, Feb [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1202.ET1202