The discovery of Rickettsia sp. ME2023 is a key piece of a puzzle that scientists at the UMass Amherst-based New England Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases (NEWVEC) are pondering.

Scrub typhus is a potentially life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, which belongs to the rickettsia family. It is spread to humans through the bite of infected ...