Scanning electron microscopy image of a chigger. Credit: Loganathan Ponnusamy, NC State University A study in North Carolina has detected the bacterium responsible for scrub typhus, a serious disease, in local chiggers. The findings prompt concerns about the disease’s origins and potential health risks, with further research underway to assess the implications. A bacterium that causes a disease called scrub typhus – a disease not previously reported in the United States – has been detected in North Carolina, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University and UNC-Greensboro. The researchers stress that scrub typhus, which can...