Typhus is a disease caused by rickettsia or orientia bacteria which can be transmitted by arthropod vectors like infected lice, mites, ticks, and fleas. Also known as Typhus fever, it is a group of infectious diseases that include Scrub Typhus, Epidemic Typhus, and Murine Typhus having common symptoms of fever, rash and headache often with neurological features.
Typhus has been described since the medieval period with the name coming from the Greek word meaning fever or delusion, which describes the state of mind of those infected. Although “typhoid “ means “typhus-like”, the diseases typhus and typhoid are distinctly different diseases caused by different types of bacteria having different signs and symptoms. Improved hygiene has mostly stopped typhus but it is still reported from places where basic sanitation is poor or if it is transmitted by an infected vector.
The first reliable description of....
