Causes of Typhus

Getting rid of fleas or lice can be difficult and time-consuming, but it could save you from catching a bacterial disease known as typhus. If you live in the southern or southeastern United States, you could be at risk of getting murine typhus, especially in summer and fall. Endemic typhus, which is rarely seen in the United States, usually occurs in areas with cold climates and poor hygiene. Epidemic typhus usually affects elderly people.

Significance

• Typhus carries the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening complications such as pneumonia, acute kidney failure or damage to the central nervous system. Epidemic typhus can lead to gangrene in the extremities in severe cases. According to the National Institutes of Health, untreated cases of epidemic typhus can lead to death in ten to sixty percent of patients, especially those over the age of sixty. Untreated cases of murine typhus can cause death in less than two percent of patients.

Causes

• Bacteria known as Rickettsia prowazekii and Rickettsia typhi cause murine, endemic and epidemic typhus. Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas and lice on flying squirrels leads to endemic typhus. These bacteria can also be found on rats, skunks, cats, opossums and raccoons. Exposure to these animals can result in murine typhus if the bacteria are present on fleas or in feces. Rickettsia prowazekii spread by lice causes epidemic typhus. The lice, which can be found on flying squirrels, leave fecal matter behind that contain these bacteria. Infections result from flea and louse bites or inhalation of flea and lice feces. Typhus can't be passed directly from person to person, but the fleas or lice can jump from one person to another.

Symptoms

• Murine typhus symptoms include a fever around 105 degrees F that lasts for two weeks, abdominal pain, a hacking cough, joint pain, nausea, headache, vomiting, backache and a dull reddish rash that spreads after appearing on the middle of your body. Endemic typhus can cause symptoms such as delirium, joint pain, low blood pressure, stupor, a strong headache, serious muscle pain, a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a cough, chills, sensitivity to light or a rash on your chest that spreads over your body. Initial symptoms of epidemic typhus include anorexia, malaise, a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and headache, followed by a rash resembling measles, cough and pneumonia in severe cases. Mental symptoms, such as delirium, hallucinations and twitching, can occur in some cases. A milder form of epidemic typhus, known as Brill-Zinsser disease, can develop several years after the original typhus infection.

Treatment

• All forms of typhus require antibiotics, such as doxycycline, chloramphenicol or tetracycline. Doxycycline use occurs more often than chloramphenicol use. Tetracycline use might lead to permanent stains on children's teeth if they haven't fully developed. Prompt treatment generally leads to a full recovery. Severe cases of epidemic typhus could result in hospitalization and require administration of oxygen and intravenous fluids.

Prevention

• Stay away from areas populated by rats or other animals that could transmit typhus. Keep your property clean and free of loose garbage to avoid attracting rats. If you do notice a lice infestation, bathe frequently, boil infected clothes or avoid them for five days to make sure the lice have died, and use insecticides to get rid of lice.