Murine typhus is a rickettsial disease that is caused by Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis bacteria and is spread by infected fleas.
People with murine typhus have shaking chills, a fever, a headache, and a rash.
To diagnose the infection, doctors do blood tests and sometimes test a sample of the rash.
The antibiotic doxycycline is used to treat this infection.
Avoiding or reducing contact with infected fleas helps prevent the infection from spreading.
Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis bacteria can be passed between people and animals and cause infections. Infections that can be passed between people and animals are called zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses (see Introduction to Diseases Spread Between Animals and People (Zoonoses)). See also Fleas of Dogs and Fleas of Cats.
Rickettsiae are a type of bacteria that can live and multiply only inside the cells of a host organism, such as an animal or person, and cannot survive on their own in the environment. The rickettsiae that cause murine typhus live in rats, mice, other rodents, wild opossums, dogs, and cats (the hosts).
Murine typhus occurs throughout the world, but not many people are infected. In the United States, most cases of murine typhus occur in Hawaii, Texas, and California. In these states, the rickettsiae often live in opossums and cats.
The infection is mainly spread (transmitted) to people by the bites of rat, mouse, wild opossum, and cat fleas, but dog fleas can spread the infection too.
The bacteria that cause murine typhus are spread to people through the bites of infected rat fleas.
CDC
Symptoms of Murine Typhus
Symptoms of murine typhus begin about 7 to 14 days after Rickettsia typhi or Rickettsia felis bacteria enter the body. People have shaking chills, fever, and a headache. Without treatment, the fever lasts about 14 days.
This photo shows widespread blistering of the skin due to cat flea bites.
SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A rash may appear a few days after the other symptoms. At first, it occurs only in a few places on the torso, then spreads to the limbs.
Diagnosis of Murine Typhus
A doctor's evaluation
Blood tests
Biopsy and testing of the rash
Doctors base the diagnosis of murine typhus on the person's symptoms (such as a fever and a rash), particularly if the person has been in contact with rodents or has been in an area where murine typhus occurs.
To confirm the diagnosis, doctors may take a blood sample and do an immunofluorescence assay to detect antibodies to the bacteria. This test may need to be repeated a few weeks later to detect a rise in antibodies. Or they may take a blood sample and do the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to make copies of the bacteria's DNA, so that the bacteria can be detected more rapidly.
Sometimes doctors remove a sample of the rash (biopsy) and test if for antigens produced by the bacteria. See also Tests That Detect Antibodies to or Antigens of Microorganisms.
Treatment of Murine Typhus
Antibiotics
Doctors typically give people who have murine typhus the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline is usually given by mouth (orally). People take the antibiotic until they improve and have not had a fever for 72 hours, and they must take it for at least 7 to 10 days.
Although doxycycline can cause tooth staining in children younger than 8 years old, a short, 5- to 10-day course of doxycycline in children of all ages is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and can be used without causing tooth staining or weakening of tooth enamel.
Murine typhus is rarely fatal, but more deaths can occur among infected older adults. Murine typhus is not as fatal as epidemic typhus.
Prevention of Murine Typhus
There is no vaccine to prevent murine typhus.
Prevention of murine typhus involves measures to reduce contact with infected fleas:
Keeping rodents and other animals away from the home, the workplace, and recreational areas by removing brush, rock piles, junk, piles of firewood, and food supplies (especially pet food)
Wearing gloves if handling sick or dead animals
Performing regular flea prevention treatments on pets such as cats and dogs
Wearing long pants, long sleeves, and socks when outdoors in areas where fleas may be present
Using insect repellents when outdoors
Avoiding directly feeding or petting stray or wild animals
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