Typhus

Background

• Not to be confused with typhoid fever, a distinct disease caused by a different genera of bacteria
• A rickettsia disease

Diagnosis

Epidemic typhus

1. fvr, ha, myalgia
2. xmitted by arthropods/ ticks
3. painless eschar at inoculation site imp clue
4. camping, hiking in grassy/ scrub area
5. regional LN, rash, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia
6. dx clinically

Differential Diagnosis

Fever in traveler

• Normal causes of acute fever!
• Malaria
• Dengue
• Leptospirosis
• Typhoid fever
• Typhus
• Viral hemorrhagic fevers
  • Ebola virus disease
  • Marburg virus disease
  • Lassa fever
  • Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
• Chikungunya
• Yellow fever
• Rift valley fever
• Q fever
• Amebiasis
• Zika virus

Treatment

1. Tetracycline
2. confirm serologically

See Also

Travel Medicine