Deadly bacteria has been found in NC chiggers before. Is that still a concern?
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- Chigger larvae are Trombiculidae mites whose saliva causes intense itching for weeks.
- North Carolina researchers found Orientia bacteria in chiggers in 2022.
- Scrub typhus can cause fever, organ damage and death if untreated.
Chiggers can make you itchy for weeks on end and may carry dangerous bacteria, but it isn’t true that they burrow under the skin.
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 in the state’s chigger population.
The tiny irritants Americans call chiggers are the larval stage of Trombiculidae mites. Their saliva causes intense itching and irritation in humans and animals — so much so that the common myth is that chiggers bury into the skin and stay. They don’t, but the irritation can last a couple weeks.
Deadly bacteria in NC chiggers?
Researchers from N.C. State University and UNC-Greensboro found Orientia, a bacteria causing scrub typhus, in chigger populations in North Carolina in 2022, The News and Observer reported.
Scrub typhus is most commonly found in rural Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, the Indian subcontinent and Australia, according to the CDC. It has not been identified in people and animals here, though the bacteria is present.
Scrub typhus symptoms:
- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Body aches and muscle pain
- Mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Rash
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.
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.
“Only thing we do know, we have Orientia here. They are more closely related to the one found in Asia,” Ponnusamy said. “There is no human illness report identified yet, but doctors probably need to be looking into that in the future, because usually peoples — sick people, the people who get bit — they assume tick bites, right?”
Ponnusamy said more research on Orientia in American chiggers is coming.
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. 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.
As the researchers continue their analysis of Orientia in American chiggers, Ponnusamy said it is best to be cautious and avoid chigger bites.
How to avoid chiggers
Aside from the potential risk of anaphylactic allergy and severe illness, chiggers are, well, irritating.
The CDC recommends:
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET or other active ingredients registered for use against chiggers, on exposed skin and clothing (sunscreen first, then repellent)
- If you have a baby or child, make sure to dress the child in clothing that covers the limbs and apply insect repellent carefully– do not use it on the hands, eyes or mouth.
- Treat clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated items. The ingredient will remain protective through multiple washes. Follow product instructions carefully
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.
”When the people go to the wooded areas, you know, camping, then probably if they use repellent that will definitely help,” Ponnusamy said. “Also there is a company called Insect Shield. They also sell repellent based socks, shoes, cloth, that might help.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Deadly bacteria has been found in NC chiggers before. Is that still a concern?."
