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Friday, November 10, 2023

Unexpected pathogen spread by infected chiggers found for 1st time in North Carolina

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Wildlife researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro found a novel pathogen for the first time in North Carolina that is carried by chiggers. 

Bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi causes the disease scrub typhus, which is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Man, I hate chiggers. I've never had a problem with them here, but when I was a kid in Georgia, I'd come in from hunting and my legs would be infested with them from the knees down, itching and burning like my legs were on fire.