Tsutsugamushi disease

Japanese: 恙虫病 - つつがむしびょう

〘Noun〙 A disease caused by bites from chiggers that mainly infest voles. The pathogen is Rickettsia orientalis. It is widespread in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the South Sea Islands. In Japan, it was feared as occurring in the river basins of Akita, Yamagata, and Niigata prefectures, causing many deaths, but nowadays, the number of deaths has decreased due to the development of a specific medicine. The bite site becomes infected and breaks down, and the nearby lymph nodes become swollen and painful. Headaches and loss of appetite occur, and red spotted rashes appear all over the body about one week after the onset of the disease.

Tsutsugamushi disease

〘Noun〙 = tsutsugamushibyo (scrub typhus disease)

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙おもにハタネズミに寄生するツツガムシに人が刺されて発病する疾患。病原体はリケッチア‐オリエンタリス。日本・東南アジア・南洋諸島に広く発生する。日本では秋田・山形・新潟の各県の河川の流域に発生するものが多数の死者を出して恐れられていたが、現在では特効薬により、死者は少なくなった。刺されたところが化膿してくずれ、近くのリンパ腺がはれて痛む。頭痛、食欲不振が起こり、発病一週間くらいから全身に赤い斑状発疹が現われる。