infections
Murine (Endemic) Typhus
Introduction
Murine typhus is a Overview of Rickettsial Infections that is caused by People with murine typhus have shaking chills, a fever, and a headache, followed a few days later by a rash. To diagnose the infection, doctors test a sample of the rash and sometimes do blood tests. Murine typhus is treated with an antibiotic. Overview of Rickettsial Infections are a type of bacteria that can live only inside the cells of other organisms. The rickettsiae that cause murine typhus live mainly in rats and mice (the hosts). Murine typhus occurs throughout the world, although not many people are infected. The infection is transmitted to people by rat, mouse, and cat fleas. In the United States, most cases of murine typhus occur in suburban areas of Hawaii, Texas, and California. In these states, the rickettsiae often live in opossums and cats. 