Typhus

Sweerts, Michael. Plague in an Ancient City.

Carla LardizabalBIOL402

April 15, 2010

Typhus

Typhus is a febrile disease caused by Rickettsia bacteria spread by lice or fleas.

Murine (endemic) typhus Epidemic typhus andBrill-Zinsser disease

Symptoms

• Fever• Headache • Rash • Gangrene• Organ failure• Neurological complications– delirium, stupor, seizures, stroke

Charles Nicolle discovered how typhus is transmitted.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1928

Rickettsia prowazekii (bacteria)

Pediculus corporis (louse)

humans epidemic typhus

Rickettsia typhi (bacteria)

Xenopsylla cheopis (flea)

rats humans murine typhus

Rickettsia gets into the host’s bloodstream and affects the endothelial cells of blood vessels.

Typhus has a worldwide distribution, but outbreaks have occurred in certain areas.

Epidemic typhus, WHO, July 2008

Typhus has a worldwide distribution, but outbreaks have occurred in certain areas.

Endemic areas of murine typhus, World Health Organization (WHO). 1989

Typhus thrives in crowded,

unsanitary living conditions.

Kibumba refugee camp in Goma, Zaire, July 1994

Without advanced equipment, typhus can be difficult to diagnose.

Chloramphenicol

Antibiotic treatment is highly effective.

Doxycycline

Louse eradication is essential for outbreak control.

DDT dusting

WHO Protocol

Dust clothing with 10% dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane1% malation,1% permethrine

Modern intermittent outbreaks have sparked greater interest in a vaccine.

ResourcesAdjemian , Jennifer and Marina E. Eremeeva, Gregory A. Dasch. "Rickettsial (Spotted and Typhus Fevers) and

Related Infections (Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis)". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-5/rickettsial-and-related-infections.aspx>.

"Lice 'undermined Napoleon's army' ". BBC News. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4534540.stm>.Morens,, David M. and Myron G. Schultz. "Charles-Jules-Henri Nicolle". Emerging Infectious Disease.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2819868/>.Raoult, Didier, and Philippe Parola. Rickettsial diseases. Informa HealthCare, 2007. Print. “Rickettsia prowazekii.” Virginia Bioinformatics Institute.

<http://pathport.vbi.vt.edu/pathinfo/pathogens/Rickettsia_prowazekii_Info.shtml>.“Rickettsia typhi.” Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. <

http://pathport.vbi.vt.edu/pathinfo/pathogens/Rickettsia_typhi_Info.shtml>."Rickettsial and Related Infections". The Merck Manuals: Online Medical Library. Merck & Co, Inc..

<http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec17/ch195/ch195a.html>.“Typhus.” eMedicine. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/231374-overview>."Typhus: Differential Diagnoses & Workup". eMedicine. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/231374-

diagnosis>."Typhus: Treatment & Medication". eMedicine. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/231374-

treatment>.