Typhus

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Murine typhus; Epidemic typhus; Endemic typhus; Brill-Zinsser disease; Jail fever

Treatment includes antibiotics such as tetracycline, doxycycline, or chloramphenicol. Tetracycline taken by mouth can permanently stain teeth that are still forming. It is usually not prescribed for children until after all the permanent teeth have grown in.

Intravenous fluids and oxygen may be necessary for patients with epidemic typhus.

Without treatment, death may occur in 10 - 60% of patients with epidemic typhus. Patients over the age of 60 have the highest risk of death. When treatment is promptly received, the patient is expected to completely recover.

Less than 2% of untreated patients with murine typhus may die. Prompt antibiotic treatment will cure nearly all patients.

• Renal insufficiency
• Pneumonia
• Central nervous system damage

Call your health care provider if symptoms of any type of typhus develop. This serious disorder can require emergency care.

Review Date: 09/25/2006
Reviewed By: Charlotte Grayson, MD, Private Practice specializing in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Smyrna, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.