Rickettsia

Rickettsia A member of genus Rickettsia, a family of microorganisms that, like viruses, require other living cells for growth, but also resemble bacteria in that they use oxygen, have metabolic enzymes and cell walls, and are susceptible to antibiotics. Rickettsiae cause a series of diseases, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, typhus, and trench fever. Rickettsiae generally have an animal host and are transmitted to humans by an insect (usually arthropod) vector. See also rickettsial diseases.