Trombiculidae

Trombiculidae is a family of mites whose parasitic larvae feed on vertebrates, while nymphs and adults live freely as predators.

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Chigger: A parasitic larval mite in the family Trombiculidae that feeds on vertebrates. This familiar name usually means the parasitic stage of a trombiculid mite.
Acari: The arachnid taxon comprising mites and ticks. Trombiculidae belongs to Acari, whose members include many distinct life histories.
Scrub typhus: A potentially severe infection caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by certain trombiculid mites. Some trombiculid larvae transmit this disease while feeding on people and other hosts.
Leptotrombidium: A genus of trombiculid mites that includes important scrub typhus vectors in Asia and the western Pacific. Several species in this genus transmit Orientia tsutsugamushi.
Stylostome: A hardened feeding tube formed in host tissue around the mouthparts of certain parasitic mites. Trombiculid larvae digest tissue through this tube rather than sucking blood.
Acariformes: One of the two major lineages of mites, including many soil-dwelling and plant-associated forms. Trombiculidae is classified within this major mite lineage.
Orientia tsutsugamushi: A bacterium that causes scrub typhus, an infection transmitted by larval trombiculid mites. This pathogen links the feeding ecology of some trombiculids to human disease.
Leptotrombidium deliense: A trombiculid mite species and a major vector of scrub typhus in parts of Asia and the Pacific. It exemplifies a medically significant species within Trombiculidae.
Trombiculiasis: A skin infestation caused by parasitic larval mites, especially trombiculid mites. It names the condition caused when trombiculid larvae attach and feed.
Larva: An immature animal stage that differs in form or ecology from the adult. Only the six-legged larval stage of trombiculids parasitizes vertebrates.