Typhus causes
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Typhus Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Typhus causes On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Typhus causes |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Ganti M.B.B.S. [2]
Overview
Typhus is caused by one of two types of bacteria Rickettsia typhi or Rickettsia prowazekii. The form of typhus depends on which type of bacteria causes the infection. Rickettsia typhi causes murine or endemic typhus. Endemic typhus is uncommon in the United States. It is usually seen in areas where hygiene is poor and the temperature is cold. Endemic typhus is sometimes called "jail fever." Murine typhus occurs in the southeastern and southern United States
Causes
Typhus is caused by one of two types of bacteria Rickettsia typhi or Rickettsia prowazekii. The form of typus depends on which type of bacteria causes the infection. Rickettsia typhi causes murine or endemic typhus. Endemic typhus is uncommon in the United States. It is usually seen in areas where hygiene is poor and the temperature is cold. Endemic typhus is sometimes called "jail fever." Murine typhus occurs in the southeastern and southern United States, often during the summer and fall. It is rarely deadly. Risk factors for murine typhus include:
- Exposure to rat fleas or rat feces
- Exposure to other animals (such as cats, opossums, raccoons, skunks, and rats)
Rickettsia prowazekii causes epidemic typhus and Brill-Zinsser disease. Brill-Zinsser disease is a mild form of epidemic typhus. It occurs when the disease re-activates in a person who was previously infected. It is more common in the elderly. Lice and fleas of flying squirrels spread the bacteria.
Gallery
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![Image depicts a dorsal view of a female head louse, Pediculus humanus var. capitis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/1/1b/Rickettsia_prowazekii03.jpeg)
Image depicts a dorsal view of a female head louse, Pediculus humanus var. capitis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Image depicts an adult female body louse, Pediculus humanus, and two larval young. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/c/c3/Rickettsia_prowazekii02.jpeg)
Image depicts an adult female body louse, Pediculus humanus, and two larval young. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/7/79/Epidemic_typhus12.jpeg)
Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/2/22/Epidemic_typhus11.jpeg)
Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Lateral view of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, as it was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/b/bb/Epidemic_typhus10.jpeg)
Lateral view of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, as it was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/8/83/Epidemic_typhus09.jpeg)
Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Magnified photograph of ventral view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, focusing on the insects cephalic and thoracic regions. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/9/9a/Epidemic_typhus08.jpeg)
Magnified photograph of ventral view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, focusing on the insects cephalic and thoracic regions. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals the distal tip of the abdominal region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a dorsal perspective (152X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/9/9a/Epidemic_typhus07.jpeg)
Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals the distal tip of the abdominal region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a dorsal perspective (152X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted an enlarged dorsal view of the right flexed foreleg of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis (309X mag). Leg segments are very stout, and end in claws, which it used to firmly grasp clothing, or a host’s hair shafts. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/b/b9/Epidemic_typhus06.jpeg)
Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted an enlarged dorsal view of the right flexed foreleg of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis (309X mag). Leg segments are very stout, and end in claws, which it used to firmly grasp clothing, or a host’s hair shafts. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. SEM reveals some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by its cephalic, or head region, thoracic, and proximal abdominal regions. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/8/84/Epidemic_typhus04.jpeg)
Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. SEM reveals some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by its cephalic, or head region, thoracic, and proximal abdominal regions. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. SEM reveals some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by the cephalic region (307X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/7/7d/Epidemic_typhus03.jpeg)
Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. SEM reveals some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by the cephalic region (307X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) depicts enlarged view of the chitinous, exoskeletal surface of a female louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, in the region where the organism’s forelegs and hean attached to its thoracic region. (151X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/4/40/Epidemic_typhus02.jpeg)
Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) depicts enlarged view of the chitinous, exoskeletal surface of a female louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, in the region where the organism’s forelegs and hean attached to its thoracic region. (151X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
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![Illustration depicts a photomicrographic view of a culture specimen revealing the presence of numerous Borrelia recurrentis bacteria, which cause European relapsing fever. This bacterium is transmitted from person-to-person by way of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/8/86/Epidemic_typhus01.jpeg)
Illustration depicts a photomicrographic view of a culture specimen revealing the presence of numerous Borrelia recurrentis bacteria, which cause European relapsing fever. This bacterium is transmitted from person-to-person by way of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
![Image depicts a dorsal view of a female head louse, Pediculus humanus var. capitis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Rickettsia_prowazekii03.jpeg)
![Image depicts an adult female body louse, Pediculus humanus, and two larval young. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Rickettsia_prowazekii02.jpeg)
![Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus12.jpeg)
![Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus11.jpeg)
![Lateral view of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, as it was obtaining a blood-meal from a human host. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus10.jpeg)
![Dorsal view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus09.jpeg)
![Magnified photograph of ventral view of a male body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, focusing on the insects cephalic and thoracic regions. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus08.jpeg)
![Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals the distal tip of the abdominal region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a dorsal perspective (152X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus07.jpeg)
![Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted an enlarged dorsal view of the right flexed foreleg of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis (309X mag). Leg segments are very stout, and end in claws, which it used to firmly grasp clothing, or a host’s hair shafts. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus06.jpeg)
![Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. SEM reveals some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by its cephalic, or head region, thoracic, and proximal abdominal regions. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus04.jpeg)
![Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) image focused on the head region of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis from a ventral perspective. SEM reveals some of the insect’s exoskeletal morphology exhibited by the cephalic region (307X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus03.jpeg)
![Scanning electron micrographic (SEM) depicts enlarged view of the chitinous, exoskeletal surface of a female louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis, in the region where the organism’s forelegs and hean attached to its thoracic region. (151X mag). From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus02.jpeg)
![Illustration depicts a photomicrographic view of a culture specimen revealing the presence of numerous Borrelia recurrentis bacteria, which cause European relapsing fever. This bacterium is transmitted from person-to-person by way of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Epidemic_typhus01.jpeg)