A 75-year-old man has been diagnosed with a rare bacterial disease murine typhusThe man from Kerala was diagnosed with the condition on Friday, October 11. This person recently traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia and experienced severe body pain and fatigue upon returning from their trip.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, after experiencing symptoms, the man sought medical attention and the doctor ordered tests for rat-induced and flea-borne diseases. Although test results were inconclusive, it was found that his liver and kidney function were deteriorating.

After considering her travel history, doctors suspected she might have murine typhus, which would be the first diagnosed case in the region. The patient was diagnosed using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology which uses microbial DNA for identification. Further tests were then conducted at CMC Vellore for confirmation.

What is murine typhus?

Murine typhus, also known as flea-borne typhus or endemic typhus, is a disease caused by the bacteria Rickettsia typhi. It is spread to people through contact with infected fleas, usually through the Oriental rat flea and cat flea. Fleas become infected when they bite infected animals such as rats, cats or opossums. Once infected, they spread the disease to people or animals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when an infected flea bites a person or animal, the bite tears the skin, causing a wound. When fleas eat, they defecate. This feces (also called flea dirt) contains bacteria, which can rub into bite wounds or other wounds and cause infection.

It is important to note that people can breathe in infected flea dirt or rub it in their eyes. However, these bacteria do not spread from person to person.

Symptoms of murine typhus

Symptoms of the disease appear within 3-14 days after exposure to infected fleas or flea dirt. Here, take a look at some of the signs and symptoms of murine typhus.

• fever and chills
• Body aches and muscle pain
• Headache
• loss of appetite
• nausea
• vomit
• stomach pain
• cough
• Rash (usually occurs in about half of patients, and usually begins around the 5th day of illness).

Serious illness may occur in some people but death is rare. Almost all cases resolve completely with appropriate antibiotics.

murine typhus prevention

There is no vaccine to prevent this disease. Therefore, it is important that you reduce your risk of getting murine typhus by avoiding contact with fleas.

• Keep fleas away from your pets
• Animals that are allowed outside are more likely to bring in fleas
• Talk to your veterinarian about flea control products for pets, such as flea collars, oral medications, or topical flea prevention products.
• Permethrin should not be used on cats
• Keep rodents and wild animals away from your home, workplace and recreation areas
• Store food, including pet food, in tightly sealed containers.
• Remove brush, rocks, junk and clutter from outside your home
• Seal holes in your home where rodents can enter
• Keep lids on compost and garbage bins to discourage animal visitors.
• protect yourself from flea bites
• Do not feed or pet wild or stray animals
• Always wear gloves if you are handling sick or dead animals.

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