endemic typhus

typhus /ty·phus/ (ti´fus) a group of closely related, acute, arthropod-borne rickettsial diseases that differ in the intensity of certain signs and symptoms, severity, and fatality rate; all are characterized by headache, chills, fever, stupor, and a macular, maculopapular, petechial, or papulovesicular eruption. Often used alone in English-speaking countries to refer to epidemic typhus, and in several European languages to refer to typhoid fever.ty´phous

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endemic typhus  murine t.

epidemic typhus  the classic form, due to Rickettsia prowazekii and transmitted between humans by body lice.

flying squirrel typhus  an acute infectious disease similar to epidemic typhus, occurring in the southeastern United States; it is caused by Rickettsia prowazekii and is transmitted by the fleas and lice of the flying squirrel.

Kenya tick typhus  boutonneuse fever.

murine typhus  an infectious disease, clinically similar to epidemic typhus but milder, due to Rickettsia typhi, transmitted from rat to human by the rat flea and rat louse.

recrudescent typhus  Brill's disease.

scrub typhus  an acute, typhus-like infectious disease caused by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by chiggers, characterized by a primary skin lesion at the site of inoculation and development of a rash, regional lymphadenopathy, and fever.

tropical typhus  scrub t.

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endemic typhus

n.

See murine typhus.

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endemic typhus.

See murine typhus.