epidemic typhus murine typhus scrub typhus human louse mite
TRANSCRIPT
Epidemic typhus
Murine typhus
Scrub typhus
Human Louse
Mite
Rickettsia ProwazekiiObligate intracellular bacteriaPleiomorphic rodsSusceptible to moist heat and dry
heat
Cases reported in the world since 1997
Symptoms
• Acute infection• Brill-Zinsser
disease
Diagnosing Epidemic TyphusClinical signs and history (for
initial diagnosis)Confirmatory diagnosis
◦Culture◦Serology◦Biopsy◦PCR
Epidemic typhus found in Houston, Texas
176 participants◦2 had antibodies against R. prowazekii◦17 had antibodies against R. typhi
Reeves et al. (2008)
Treatment and PreventionDelousingAntibiotics
◦Chloramphenicol◦Tetracycline
Doxycycline 200 mg
Vaccine not commerciallyavailable
High prevalence of Typhus during wartime
References www.who.int/ith/diseases/typhusfever/en/ www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/
001363.htm www.textbookofbacteriology.net/
Rickettsia_2.html www.inkling.com/read/rubins-pathology-emanuel-
rubin-6th/chapter-9/epidemic-louse-borne-typhus www.uptodate.com/contents/epidemic-typhus/
abstract/2?utdPopup=true vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/?
sid=Entrez:PubMed&id=pmid:18697325 entomology.montana.edu/historybug/typhus-
conlon.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.3376/1081-
1710(2008)33[205:SEOTGR]2.0.CO;2
ResearchThe genome sequence of Rickettsia
prowazekii and the origin of mitochondria◦ 1998
Serological evidence of typhus group rickettsia in a homeless population in Houston, Texas ◦ 2008
Cluster of Sylvatic Epidemic Typhus Cases Associated with Flying Squirrels, 2004–2006◦ 2009◦ http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com
/?sid=Entrez:PubMed&id=pmid:806809
◦ http://www.ajtmh.org/content/27/2/339