Epidemic typhus , also known as louse-borne typhus , is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters where civil life is disrupted. Though typhus has been responsible for millions of deaths throughout history, it is still considered a rare disease that occurs mainly in populations that suffer unhygienic extreme overcrowding.
It occurs primarily in the colder, mountainous regions of central and east Africa, as well as Central and South America. Epidemic typhus should not be confused with murine typhus , which is more endemic to the United States, particularly Southern California and Texas.
This form of typhus has similar symptoms but is caused by Rickettsia typhi , is less deadly, and has different vectors for transmission.
Symptoms of this disease typically begin within 2 weeks of contact with the causative organism. After 5โ6 days, a macular skin eruption develops: first on the upper trunk and spreading to the rest of the body rarely to the face, palms, or soles of the feet, however.
BrillโZinsser disease , first described by Nathan Brill in at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City , is a mild form of epidemic typhus that recurs in someone after a long period of latency similar to the relationship between chickenpox and shingles. This recurrence often arises in times of relative immunosuppression , which is often in the context of a person suffering malnutrition or other illnesses. In combination with poor sanitation and hygiene in times of social chaos and upheaval, which enable a greater density of lice , this reactivation is why typhus generates epidemics in such conditions [ 11 ].
