Rickettsia typhi in Southern California: A Growing Flea-Borne Threat

Rickettsia typhi is a flea-borne bacterium that causes an acute undifferentiated febrile illness in humans. Disease attributed to R. typhi has various descriptive names that characterize its ecology and epidemiology. Flea-borne typhus names its vector; murine typhus describes its murid reservoir; an...

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Published inThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 110; no. 1; pp. 1 - 2
Main Author Blanton, Lucas S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Institute of Tropical Medicine 03.01.2024
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Subjects
Animals
California - epidemiology
Disease transmission
Humans
Parasites
Rickettsia
Rickettsia felis
Rickettsia Infections - microbiology
Rickettsia typhi
Siphonaptera - microbiology
Typhus
Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne - epidemiology
Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne - microbiology
California
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Summary:Rickettsia typhi is a flea-borne bacterium that causes an acute undifferentiated febrile illness in humans. Disease attributed to R. typhi has various descriptive names that characterize its ecology and epidemiology. Flea-borne typhus names its vector; murine typhus describes its murid reservoir; and endemic typhus differentiates it from epidemic louse-borne typhus, a more severe illness caused by Rickettsia prowazekii. Classically maintained by rats (Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus), R. typhi likely also utilizes opossums (Didelphis virginiana) as an amplifying host in North America. Clinically, flea-borne typhus is characterized by fever, headache, malaise, and myalgias. Although rash is often considered characteristic of a rickettsiosis, it occurs in only half of cases. Laboratory abnormalities such as elevated hepatic transaminases, thrombocytopenia, and hyponatremia are often noted. The paper by Yomogida et al titled "Surveillance of Flea-borne Typhus in CA, 2011-2019" is an important and timely contribution that puts a spotlight on this emerging infectious threat.
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Author’s address: Lucas S. Blanton, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. E-mail: lsblanto@utmb.edu.
ISSN:0002-9637
1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.23-0742