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Epidemic louse-borne typhus

MedGen UID:
21744
•Concept ID:
C0041473
•
Disease or Syndrome
Synonyms: Epidemic Louse-Borne Typhus; Epidemic Typhus; Fever, Jail; Infection, Rickettsia prowazekii; Jail Fever; Louse Borne Typhus; Louse-Borne Typhus; Louse-Borne Typhus, Epidemic; Rickettsia prowazekii Infection; Rickettsia prowazekii Infections; Typhus, Epidemic; Typhus, Epidemic Louse Borne; Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne; Typhus, Louse-Borne
SNOMED CT: Louse-borne epidemic typhus (39111003); European typhus (39111003); Tabardillo (39111003); Fleckfieber (39111003); Louse-borne typhus fever (39111003); Tifus exanthematico (39111003); Louse-borne typhus (39111003); Epidemic typhus (39111003); Classical typhus (39111003); Typhus due to Rickettsia prowazekii (39111003); Exanthematic typhus (39111003)
Modes of inheritance:
Not genetically inherited
MedGen UID:
988794
•Concept ID:
CN307044
•
Finding
Source: Orphanet
clinical entity without genetic inheritance.
See: This record
Not genetically inherited (Orphanet)
 
Monarch Initiative: MONDO:0019362
Orphanet: ORPHA83314

Definition

A Rickettsial disease characterized by malaise and vague symptoms before the onset of high fever, headache, severe myalgias and less commonly petechial rash on the trunk and limbs, nausea, vomiting, coughing and pneumonia. Most patients also have some central nervous system disturbances, such as meningeal irritation, confusion, drowsiness, seizures, coma, and hearing loss. [from ORDO]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVEpidemic louse-borne typhus
Follow this link to review classifications for Epidemic louse-borne typhus in Orphanet.

Professional guidelines

PubMed

The contributions of James Carmichael Smyth, Archibald Menzies and Robert Jackson to the treatment of typhus in royal naval vessels in the late 18th century.
Chan C, Demetriades AK
J Med Biogr 2023 Feb;31(1):4-9. Epub 2021 Feb 27 doi: 10.1177/0967772021994560. PMID: 33641510Free PMC Article
Treatment of Rickettsia spp. infections: a review.
Botelho-Nevers E, Socolovschi C, Raoult D, Parola P
Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2012 Dec;10(12):1425-37. doi: 10.1586/eri.12.139. PMID: 23253320
Management of war wounds.
Whelan TJ Jr, Burkhalter WE, Gomez A
Adv Surg 1968;3:227-350. PMID: 5701158

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

The history of louse-borne typhus and geomedizine.
Polak A, Pawlikowska-Łagód K, Zagaja A, Grzybowski A
Clin Dermatol 2023 Nov-Dec;41(6):767-771. Epub 2023 Sep 21 doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2023.09.009. PMID: 37741590
Lice and lice-borne diseases in humans in Africa: A narrative review.
Ouarti B, Mbogning Fonkou DM, Houhamdi L, Mediannikov O, Parola P
Acta Trop 2023 Jan;237:106709. Epub 2022 Oct 2 doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106709. PMID: 36198330
Typhus and the spotted fevers.
Buchanan R
Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2018 Oct 2;79(10):C146-C149. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2018.79.10.C146. PMID: 30290740
Drought and epidemic typhus, central Mexico, 1655-1918.
Burns JN, Acuna-Soto R, Stahle DW
Emerg Infect Dis 2014 Mar;20(3):442-7. doi: 10.3201/eid2003.131366. PMID: 24564928Free PMC Article
Human louse-transmitted infectious diseases.
Badiaga S, Brouqui P
Clin Microbiol Infect 2012 Apr;18(4):332-7. Epub 2012 Feb 23 doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03778.x. PMID: 22360386

Diagnosis

Typhus and the spotted fevers.
Buchanan R
Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2018 Oct 2;79(10):C146-C149. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2018.79.10.C146. PMID: 30290740
The History of Epidemic Typhus.
Angelakis E, Bechah Y, Raoult D
Microbiol Spectr 2016 Aug;4(4) doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.PoH-0010-2015. PMID: 27726780
Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease.
Dalton J, Shaw R, Democratis J
Lancet 2014 Mar 22;383(9922):1098. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60262-2. PMID: 24656202
The plague of Athens: epidemiology and paleopathology.
Littman RJ
Mt Sinai J Med 2009 Oct;76(5):456-67. doi: 10.1002/msj.20137. PMID: 19787658
Epidemic typhus.
Bechah Y, Capo C, Mege JL, Raoult D
Lancet Infect Dis 2008 Jul;8(7):417-26. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(08)70150-6. PMID: 18582834

Therapy

Case Report: Cardiovascular Manifestations due to Flea-Borne Typhus.
Olivo-Freites C, Davar K, Gallardo-Huizar O, Vijayan T, Younes R
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024 Jan 3;110(1):150-154. Epub 2023 Dec 4 doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0794. PMID: 38052087Free PMC Article
Fleaborne Typhus-Associated Deaths - Los Angeles County, California, 2022.
Alarcón J, Sanosyan A, Contreras ZA, Ngo VP, Carpenter A, Hacker JK, Probert WS, Terashita D, Balter S, Halai UA
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023 Aug 4;72(31):838-843. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7231a1. PMID: 37535465Free PMC Article
Imported rickettsial infections to the United Kingdom, 2015-2020.
Warrell CE, Osborne J, Nabarro L, Gibney B, Carter DP, Warner J, Houlihan CF, Brooks TJG, Rampling T
J Infect 2023 May;86(5):446-452. Epub 2023 Mar 21 doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2023.03.015. PMID: 36948252
Treatment of Rickettsia spp. infections: a review.
Botelho-Nevers E, Socolovschi C, Raoult D, Parola P
Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2012 Dec;10(12):1425-37. doi: 10.1586/eri.12.139. PMID: 23253320
The neglected saliva: medically important toxins in the saliva of human lice.
Jones D
Parasitology 1998;116 Suppl:S73-81. doi: 10.1017/s0031182000084961. PMID: 9695112

Prognosis

Changing epidemiologic patterns of typhus group rickettsiosis and scrub typhus in China, 1950-2022.
Han L, Zhang Y, Jin X, Ren H, Teng Z, Sun Z, Xu J, Qin T
Int J Infect Dis 2024 Mar;140:52-61. Epub 2023 Dec 30 doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.12.013. PMID: 38163619
Surveillance of Flea-Borne Typhus in California, 2011-2019.
Yomogida K, Kjemtrup A, Martínez-López B, Ibrahim M, Contreras Z, Ngo V, Halai UA, Balter S, Feaster M, Zahn M, Shearer E, Sorvillo R, Balanji N, Torres C, Prado B, Porse C, Kramer V
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024 Jan 3;110(1):142-149. Epub 2023 Dec 18 doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0272. PMID: 38109767Free PMC Article
Fleaborne Typhus-Associated Deaths - Los Angeles County, California, 2022.
Alarcón J, Sanosyan A, Contreras ZA, Ngo VP, Carpenter A, Hacker JK, Probert WS, Terashita D, Balter S, Halai UA
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023 Aug 4;72(31):838-843. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7231a1. PMID: 37535465Free PMC Article
Typhus Disease in Iran during the Qajar Period (1725 to 1925 AD); a Brief Historical Review.
Golshani SA, Mansourbakht G, Alembizar F
Arch Iran Med 2022 Nov 1;25(11):758-764. doi: 10.34172/aim.2022.120. PMID: 37543902Free PMC Article
The plague of Athens: epidemiology and paleopathology.
Littman RJ
Mt Sinai J Med 2009 Oct;76(5):456-67. doi: 10.1002/msj.20137. PMID: 19787658

Clinical prediction guides

Clinical and laboratory features of rickettsioses in Yucatan, Mexico.
Dzul-Rosado K, Panti-Balam C, Lavín-Sánchez D, Palma-Chan A, Caamal-Poot M, Achach-Medina K, Quiñones-Vega C, Lugo-Caballero C, Noh-Pech H, Tello-Martín R, López-Ávila K, Arias-León J, González-Reynoso A, Puerto-Manzano F
Acta Trop 2024 Jan;249:107048. Epub 2023 Nov 4 doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107048. PMID: 37931342
Potential distribution of Leptotrombidium scutellare in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, China, and its association with mite-borne disease transmission.
Song WY, Lv Y, Yin PW, Yang YY, Guo XG
Parasit Vectors 2023 May 16;16(1):164. doi: 10.1186/s13071-023-05789-y. PMID: 37194039Free PMC Article
STOP: Study, Treat, Observe, and Prevent Neglected Diseases of Poverty Act.
Hotez PJ, Booker C
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 Feb;14(2):e0008064. Epub 2020 Feb 27 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008064. PMID: 32106246Free PMC Article
Seroprevalence of Scrub Typhus, Typhus, and Spotted Fever Among Rural and Urban Populations of Northern Vietnam.
Trung NV, Hoi LT, Thuong NTH, Toan TK, Huong TTK, Hoa TM, Fox A, Kinh NV, van Doorn HR, Wertheim HFL, Bryant JE, Nadjm B
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017 May;96(5):1084-1087. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0399. PMID: 28500808Free PMC Article
Plasmids and rickettsial evolution: insight from Rickettsia felis.
Gillespie JJ, Beier MS, Rahman MS, Ammerman NC, Shallom JM, Purkayastha A, Sobral BS, Azad AF
PLoS One 2007 Mar 7;2(3):e266. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000266. PMID: 17342200Free PMC Article

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