User:Articles0405/Typhus

Diagnosis
The main method of diagnosing Typhus of all types is laboratory testing. It's most commonly done with an indirect immunofluorescence antibody IFA test for all types of Typhus. This tests a sample for the antibodies associated with Typhus. It can also be done with either immunohistochemistry (IHC) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests excluding scrub typhus. Scrub Typhus isn't tested with IHC or PCR but is instead tested with the IFA test as well as indirect immunuoperoxidase (IIP) assays.

Prevention[edit]
As of 2020, no vaccine is commercially available. A vaccine has been in development for scrub typhus known as the scrub typhus vaccine.

Scrub Typhus
Scrub typhus is caused by mites, so avoid the outdoors when Scrub is common in the area. Make sure your clothing is treated with permethrin to prevent mite bites. Lastly, make sure to use bug spray to keep mites away as well. For children and babies, you additionally have to make sure their clothing covers their limbs. For babies put a mosquito cover over their stroller which also protects them from mites.

Epidemic Typhus
Epidemic typhus is caused by body lice and thrives in areas with overcrowding. To avoid lice you should stay away from highly populated areas. Also, make sure to regularly clean yourself and your clothing to help kill louse. This also goes for things like bedding and towels. Make sure to not share any fabric items with anyone who has lice or typhus. Lastly, treat clothing with permethrin because it helps kill lice.

Murine Typhus
Murine typhus is caused by flea bites so take steps to avoid flees. This can be done by making sure pets don't have fleas and if they do treat them Stay away from wild animals, use insect repellent to keep fleas away, and wear gloves when dealing with sick or dead animals. Take steps to ensure rodents or other wildlife don't get into your home.

19th century[edit]
During Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in 1812, more French soldiers died of typhus than were killed by the Russians.

A major epidemic occurred in Ireland between 1816 and 1819, during the famine caused by a worldwide reduction in temperature known as the Year Without a Summer. An estimated 100,000 people perished. Typhus appeared again in the late 1830s, and yet another major typhus epidemic occurred during the Great Irish Famine between 1846 and 1849. The typhus outbreak along with typhoid fever is said to be responsible for 400,000 deaths. The Irish typhus spread to England, where it was sometimes called "Irish fever" and was noted for its virulence. It killed people of all social classes, as lice were endemic and inescapable, but it hit particularly hard in the lower or "unwashed" social strata.

Signs and symptoms[edit]
These signs and symptoms refer to epidemic typhus, as it is the most important of the typhus group of diseases.

Signs and symptoms begin with sudden onset of fever and other flu-like symptoms about one to two weeks after being infected. Five to nine days after the symptoms have started, a rash typically begins on the trunk and spreads to the extremities. This rash eventually spreads over most of the body, sparing the face, palms, and soles. Signs of meningoencephalitis begin with the rash and continue into the second or third weeks. Other signs of meningoencephalitis include sensitivity to light (photophobia), altered mental status (delirium), or coma. Untreated cases are often fatal.

These symptoms refer to scrub typhus.

Signs and symptoms of scrub typhus usually start within 1 to 2 weeks after being bitten. These symptoms include fever, headaches, chills, swollen lymph nodes, nausea/vomiting, and a rash at the site of infection called an eschar. It also comes server symptom's which can damage the lungs, brain, kidney, meninges, and heart.

21st century[edit]
Beginning in 2018, a typhus outbreak spread through Los Angeles County primarily affecting homeless people. In 2019, city attorney Elizabeth Greenwood revealed that she, too, was infected with typhus as a result of a flea bite at her office in Los Angeles City Hall. Pasadena also experienced a sudden uptick in typhus with 22 cases in 2018 but, without being able to attribute this to one location, the Pasadena Public Health Department did not identify the cases as an "outbreak". Over the past decade as well murine typhus cases have been rising with the highest number of cases being 171 in 2022.