Diseases that are spread by biting insects are called ____.

Diseases spread by biting insects are often associated with rickettsial infections, which are caused by Rickettsia bacteria. These types of diseases typically involve vectors, like ticks and fleas, that transmit the rickettsial organisms to hosts (including humans and animals). Common examples include Rocky Mountain spotted fever and typhus, which highlight how these pathogens can spread through insect bites.

While other categories of diseases—such as viral and bacterial infections—can also be transmitted by biting insects, they do not specifically define the unique relationship of rickettsial diseases with the insect vectors involved. Parasitic infections involve different life cycles and transmission routes, leading to a conceptual distinction from rickettsial diseases, which uniquely emphasize the role of specific bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors.