Cures for Typhus

Typhus is a bacterial infection caused by one of two types of bacteria: Rickettsia typhi or Rickettsia prowazekii. The type of typhus you get depends on which bacterium infects you. Rickettsia typhi causes murine or endemic typhus, which is known colloquially as "jail fever" and is quite uncommon in the United States. It is spread though the lice and fleas of rodents. Rickettsia prowazekii is responsible for epidemic typhus and is transmitted by the body louse. Both forms of typhus are potentially fatal, and a variety of medications exist to treat the disease.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of murine typhus and endemic typhus vary, yet both are severe. Murine typhus typically presents with pain in the abdomen, joints, back and head; a fever of up to 106 degrees, which carries the possibility of lasting up to two weeks; a dry, hacking cough; nausea; and vomiting.

  Epidemic typhus presents with an incredibly high fever, severe headache and a rash. If the condition progresses, symptoms may include splenomegaly, hypotension, vascular collapse and pneumonia, among others.

  Both forms of typhus result in a rapidly spreading rash, though the rash that accompanies murine typhus is less severe than that of epidemic typhus. The rash typically presents as light red in color and tends to fade like a sunburn when pressure is applied. As the condition progresses and the symptoms become more prominent and severe, the rash becomes deeper in color and does not fade. Should the typhus become severe, petechiae (bleeding into the skin) may occur over small areas of the body.

Treatment

• While there is no vaccine for typhus, both murine and epidemic typhus respond to the same types and courses of antibiotics.

  The first line of treatment is the antibiotic doxycycline. Taken for at least a week, follow-up treatment may include chloramphenicol taken either orally or intravenously for approximately a week. Those who are unfortunate enough to contract epidemic typhus may need supplementary oxygen and IV fluids as well. Other forms of antibiotics that may be administered include tetracycline, rifampin, azithromycin and fluoroquinolones. Tetracycline should not be given to children, as it can permanently stain teeth that have yet to fully grow in.

  In the end, the course of treatment depends on when the condition is diagnosed, how severe the symptoms are, its current state and its projected progression. Once cured of murine typhus, it is impossible to contract it again.

Warnings

• While the prognosis for those infected with murine typhus is excellent, 10 to 60 percent of patients with epidemic typhus who go untreated die. The disease is particularly deadly to the elderly, though most who undergo immediate treatment fully recover.