genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...
in
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Rickettsiaceae
The Rickettsiaceae are a family of bacteria. The genus '' Rickettsia'' is the most prominent genus within the family. The bacteria that eventually formed the mitochondrion (an organelle in eukaryotic cells) is believed to have originated from ...
intracellular
This glossary of biology terms is a list of definitions of fundamental terms and concepts used in biology, the study of life and of living organisms. It is intended as introductory material for novices; for more specific and technical definitions ...
,
gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...
bacteria found in insects and mammals. They are spread through the bites or feces of infected insects.
The genus comprises the species ''
Orientia tsutsugamushi
''Orientia tsutsugamushi'' (from Japanese ''tsutsuga'' meaning "illness", and ''mushi'' meaning "insect") is a mite-borne bacterium belonging to the family Rickettsiaceae and is responsible for a disease called scrub typhus in humans. It is a ...
scrub typhus
Scrub typhus or bush typhus is a form of typhus caused by the intracellular parasite '' Orientia tsutsugamushi'', a Gram-negative α-proteobacterium of family Rickettsiaceae first isolated and identified in 1930 in Japan.
Candidatus Orientia chiloensis
Orientia chiloensis is a possible new species of Orientia identified as such by its highly divergent type-specific antigen gene (tsa).
In Chile scrub typhus is known to occur in the southern half of the country and in particular
Chiloé Island
Chiloé Island ( es, Isla de Chiloé, , ) also known as Greater Island of Chiloé (''Isla Grande de Chiloé''), is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the west coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern ...
and the fjords and channels of Patagonia. Between 2015 and 2020 there was a total of 40 known cases in Chile with much of the people affected reporting to work in gathering and cutting firewood. According to Chilean scientist Katia Abarca the disease in Chile corresponds to an endemic variety of the bacteria and has thus not arrived from the "Tsutsugamushi Triangle". The fact that the disease was first reported in 2006 in Chile is likely the result of under-diagnosis and underreporting. In January 2020, the disease was for the first time reported in Chile's southernmost region. Based on a study in northern Chiloé Island mites living in rodents are thought to be reservoirs and vectors of the disease.