What is rickettsia prowazekii

Am J Trop Med Hyg ; Plaque assay system for several species of Rickettsia. J Bacteriol ; Comparison of in vitro susceptibilities of Rickettsia prowazekii , R. Nippon Seirigaku Zasshi ; Reemerging threat of epidemic typhus in Algeria. J Clin Microbiol. Human rickettsioses in the Batna area, eastern Algeria. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. Epidemic typhus imported from Algeria. Emerg Infect Dis ; 5 5 The comparative effectiveness of aureomycin, terramycin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and thiomycetin in suppressing experimental rickettsial infections in ckick embryos.

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J Infect Dis. Outbreak of epidemic typhus associated with trench fever in Burundi. Jail fever epidemic typhus outbreak in Burundi. Emerg Infect Dis ; Serological evidence of typhus group rickettsia in a homeless population in Houston, Texas. In vitro activities of telithromycin HMR against Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia conorii, Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia typhi, Rickettsia prowazekii, Coxiella burnetii, Bartonella henselae, Bartonella quintana, Bartonella bacilliformis , and Ehrlichia chaffeensis.

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Mayo Clin Proc ; Experimental studies on the antirickettsial properties of terramycin. Ann N Y Acad Sci ; Brill-Zinsser disease in France. Rickettsia prowazekii and real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Emerg Infect Dis. Outbreak of epidemic typhus in Russia. Failure of azithromycin in treatment of Brill-Zinsser disease. Plaque assay for Rickettsia rickettsii. Weiss E, Dressler HR. Selection of an erythromycin-resistant strain of Rickettsia prowazekii. Am J Hyg ; Weissmann G. Rats, Lice, and Zinsser. Emerg Infect Dis, ; Effect of gentamicin on growth of viral, chlamydial, and rickettsial agents in mice and embryonated eggs. Studies of the rickettsial plaque assay technique.

Infect Immun ; Wisseman CL Jr. Penicillin-induced unstable intracellular formation of spheroplasts by rickettsiae. J Infect Dis ; In vitro studies of the action of antibiotics on Rickettsia prowazekii by two basic methods of cell culture. Action of aureomycin against experimental rickettsial and viral infections. Imported epidemic typhus. T able 1. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility of R. T able 2. Recommendations for antibiotic treatment of R. Clinical Manifestations. Laboratory Diagnosis.

Margaret Humphreys. Signs and symptoms may include:. Some people can remain infected, without symptoms, for years after they first get sick.

Rarely, these individuals can have a relapse in disease, called Brill-Zinsser disease, months or years following their first illness. The symptoms of Brill-Zinsser disease are similar to the original infection, but are usually milder than the initial illness. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Typhus Fevers. Small pink macules usually appear first on the upper trunk or axillae then spread to the entire body with the exception of the face, palms and soles. As the disease progresses, the rash usually becomes dark and maculopapular or, in severe cases, petechial and hemorrhagic. Splenomegaly, hypotension, nausea, vomiting and confusion may also be seen.

The fever lasts approximately 2 weeks. In seriously ill patients, vascular collapse, renal insufficiency, ecchymosis with gangrene, and symptoms of encephalitis or pneumonia may occur.

Children and people with partial immunity can have a mild infection with no rash. Recrudescent typhus is usually mild, with lower mortality rates.

The symptoms of the zoonotic form resemble classic typhus but are almost always mild. The fever usually lasts for 7 to 10 days and the rash is often barely visible or absent.

Deaths are not seen with this form. Patients can infect lice while the fever is present and may continue to be infectious for another 2 to 3 days. Patients with Brill-Zinsser disease are also infectious for lice. Epidemic typhus is usually diagnosed by serology; a fourfold rise in titer is diagnostic. Titers usually become detectable during the second week. Serologic tests include the indirect fluorescence antibody test, latex agglutination, complement fixation, enzyme immunoassay EIA and the toxin-neutralization test.

Organisms can also be identified in tissue samples, including skin biopsies, by immunohistochemical staining. Polymerase chain reaction PCR assays may be available in some laboratories. Isolation and identification of R. Early treatment with antibiotics is effective and relapses are uncommon.

Chloramphenicol can also be used, but most other antimicrobial agents are ineffective, have high failure rates, or have not been tested in vivo. Prophylactic treatment with doxycycline can be used in exposed individuals. A vaccine is not currently available, though many have been tested in the past without much reduction in incidence of disease. DNA vaccination strategies are also being investigated. Who We Are. Clinicians' Biosecurity News. Health Security Headlines. Preparedness Pulsepoints.

Outbreak Observatory. Health Security. Skip Navigation. Publications Our publications keep professionals working across the public, private, and academic sectors informed on the most important developments and issues in health security and biosecurity. Find an article or report by keywords: Enter Search Phrase. Find an article or report or see all by area, author, or year:. Year Unless otherwise noted, all information presented in this article is derived from the following two sources: Raoult D, Walker DH.