Epidemic Typhus
Typhus is a group of infectious disease caused by the bacteria rickettsiae. It is mostly characterized by a purple rash, headaches, fever, and usually delirium, and has historically been the cause of high death rates during wars and famines due to the issue of cleanliness that occurs. There are several forms, and they are all transmitted by things such as lice, ticks, mites, and rats. Specifically for epidemic typhus, humans are the most common hosts.
Disease Background
The first recorded description of the disease was back in the 1400s when during a war, countless of people lost their lives to the disease. In 1916, Henrique da Rocha Lima proved that the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii was responsible for causing typhus, and he named it after Howard Taylor Ricketts and Stanislaus von …show more content…
Specifically for epidemic typhus, more severe symptoms manage to occur. A severe headache, high fever, a rash that begins on the back or chest and spreads, sensitivity to light. Usually, these symptoms manage to appear about 10 days after being infected. If the disease is untreated, circulation in the limbs becomes increasingly sluggish and spots of gangrene may begin to appear on the body. Pneumonia or kidney failure are common amongst the infected. If continued to be untreated, delirium and coma occur, followed by;cardiac failure which will lead to death. The disease is prevalent amongst humans, so anyone can get it. The disease is known as camp fever and jail fever which is due to the fact that in times of war or famines when human cleanliness isn’t most important, epidemic typhus runs rampant. It is transmitted among humans by body lice when louse feces are scratched or rubbed into louse bites, wounds, or mucous membranes, and is highly contagious and was very deadly amongst a large
Typhus is a group of infectious disease caused by the bacteria rickettsiae. It is mostly characterized by a purple rash, headaches, fever, and usually delirium, and has historically been the cause of high death rates during wars and famines due to the issue of cleanliness that occurs. There are several forms, and they are all transmitted by things such as lice, ticks, mites, and rats. Specifically for epidemic typhus, humans are the most common hosts.
Disease Background
The first recorded description of the disease was back in the 1400s when during a war, countless of people lost their lives to the disease. In 1916, Henrique da Rocha Lima proved that the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii was responsible for causing typhus, and he named it after Howard Taylor Ricketts and Stanislaus von …show more content…
Specifically for epidemic typhus, more severe symptoms manage to occur. A severe headache, high fever, a rash that begins on the back or chest and spreads, sensitivity to light. Usually, these symptoms manage to appear about 10 days after being infected. If the disease is untreated, circulation in the limbs becomes increasingly sluggish and spots of gangrene may begin to appear on the body. Pneumonia or kidney failure are common amongst the infected. If continued to be untreated, delirium and coma occur, followed by;cardiac failure which will lead to death. The disease is prevalent amongst humans, so anyone can get it. The disease is known as camp fever and jail fever which is due to the fact that in times of war or famines when human cleanliness isn’t most important, epidemic typhus runs rampant. It is transmitted among humans by body lice when louse feces are scratched or rubbed into louse bites, wounds, or mucous membranes, and is highly contagious and was very deadly amongst a large