{"id":1422,"date":"2026-06-11T19:06:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1422"},"modified":"2026-06-11T19:06:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:06:42","slug":"deadly-bacteria-has-been-found-in-nc-chiggers-before-is-that-still-a-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1422","title":{"rendered":"Deadly bacteria has been found in NC chiggers before. Is that still a concern?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Chiggers can make you itchy for weeks on end and may carry dangerous bacteria, but it isn\u2019t true that they burrow under the skin.<\/p>\n

Read more $1 kept settlement with CMPD chief\u2019s husband out of Charlotte council\u2019s hands<\/a><\/p>\n

The mite larvae (sometimes called harvest mites) berry bugs or bush-mites, are often found in wooded areas, tall grasses and blackberry patches. A few years ago, North Carolinian researchers said they found a potentially deadly bacteria<\/a> in the state\u2019s chigger population.<\/p>\n

The tiny irritants Americans call chiggers are the larval stage of Trombiculidae mites. Their saliva causes intense itching and irritation in humans and animals \u2014 so much so that the common myth is that chiggers bury into the skin and stay. They don\u2019t, but the irritation can last a couple weeks.<\/p>\n

Researchers from N.C. State University and UNC-Greensboro<\/a> found Orientia, a bacteria causing scrub typhus, in chigger populations in North Carolina in 2022, The News and Observer reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

Scrub typhus is most commonly found in rural Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, the Indian subcontinent and Australia, according to the CDC.<\/a> It has not been identified in people and animals here, though the bacteria is present.<\/p>\n

Scrub typhus symptoms:<\/b><\/p>\n

If the illness is not treated adequately, scrub typhus may lead to organ damage and severe bleeding and even death, according to the CDC. The illness is effectively treated with the antibiotic doxycycline.<\/p>\n

One of the researchers, Loganathan Ponnusamy, said scrub typhus is commonly compared to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a tickborne illness also found in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Read more Kayaker falls into NC mountain lake and vanishes. A body is found, searchers say<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly thing we do know, we have Orientia here. They are more closely related to the one found in Asia,\u201d Ponnusamy said. \u201cThere is no human illness report identified yet, but doctors probably need to be looking into that in the future, because usually peoples \u2014 sick people, the people who get bit \u2014 they assume tick bites, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ponnusamy said more research on Orientia in American chiggers is coming.<\/p>\n

Chiggers could also cause alpha-gal syndrome, an often anaphylactic allergy to red meat often triggered by the lone star tick, the Charlotte Observer previously reported<\/a>. However, people could also confuse tiny juvenile seed ticks with the mites and get alpha-gal through ticks, while assuming they have been bitten by chiggers.<\/p>\n

As the researchers continue their analysis of Orientia in American chiggers, Ponnusamy said it is best to be cautious and avoid chigger bites.<\/p>\n

Aside from the potential risk of anaphylactic allergy and severe illness, chiggers are, well, irritating.<\/p>\n

The CDC recommends:<\/b><\/p>\n

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent Donna Teasely recommends tucking pants into socks, wearing long sleeves to pick berries and avoiding sitting on logs while hiking in a blog post.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b\u201dWhen the people go to the wooded areas, you know, camping, then probably if they use repellent that will definitely help,\u201d Ponnusamy said. \u201cAlso there is a company called Insect Shield. They also sell repellent based socks, shoes, cloth, that might help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Panthers\u2019 Xavier Legette: \u2018I can\u2019t have another year like I did last year\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn how chigger bites cause intense itching, the discovery of scrub typhus bacteria in North Carolina chiggers, and steps to prevent and treat bites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nDeadly bacteria has been found in NC chiggers before. 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