| Typhus |
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''This is about the disease Typhus. See Typhus (monster) for the monster in Greek Mythology , or Typhoid Fever for an unrelated disease with a similar name.''
Typhus is a name given to several similar Disease s caused by Rickettsia Bacteria . It comes from the Greek ''typhos'', meaning smoky or hazy, describing the state of mind of those affected with typhus. Rickettsia is endemic in rodent hosts, including mice and rats, and spreads to humans through mites, fleas and head, body, and pubic lice. The insects often flourish under conditions of poor hygiene, including prison or refugee camps, amongst the homeless, or until the middle of the 20th Century, in armies in the field. There are three types of typhus:
Symptoms common to all forms of typhus are a Fever which may reach 39 °C (102 °F) and a Headache . Definitive diagnosis can be obtained by Serological testing ( the Weil-Felix Test ). Treatment is often with Tetracycline or related Antibiotics . There are a number of other diseases caused by Rickettsiae, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (also known as "Tick typhus"), Rickettsialpox and Boutonneuse Fever . In Tropical countries, typhus is often mistaken for Dengue . In the past, typhus was sometimes referred to as Petechial Fever {Link without Title} , but this term could also refer to other diseases. Typhoid Fever is a completely different disease caused by various strains of '' Salmonella '', and should not be confused with typhus despite their similar-sounding names. TYPHUS IN HISTORY Typhus arrived in Europe with soldiers who had been fighting on the isle of Cyprus . The first reliable description of the disease appears during the Spanish siege of Moorish Granada in 1489 . These accounts include descriptions of fever and red spots over arms, back and chest, progressing to delirium, gangrenous sores, and the stink of rotting flesh. During the siege, the Spaniards lost 3,000 men to enemy action but an additional 17,000 died of typhus. Combatant deaths due to typhus were a serious factor during four centuries of European conflict. Major outbreaks occurred during the liberation of Spain, the English Civil War , the Thirty Years' War , and during Napoleon 's failure in Russia. In World War I , de-lousing stations were established for troops on the Western front but the disease ravaged the armies of the Eastern front, with over 150,000 dying in Serbia alone. Fatalities were generally between 10 to 40 percent of those infected, and the disease was a major cause of death for those nursing the sick. Some historians assert that the disease may serve as a model for the use of biological weapons while in the field. Thousands of prisoners held in appalling conditions in German concentration camps such Theresienstadt and Bergen-Belsen died of Typhus during World War II . Typhus was also a killer in civilian populations throughout history. In London , typhus frequently broke out among the ill-kept prisoners of Newgate Gaol and then moved into the general city population. An outbreak in 1557–59 killed about 10 percent of the English population. A major epidemic occurred in Ireland between 1816-19, which soon spread to England. In Russia after World War I, in the civil war between the White (Royalist) and Red (Communist) armies, typhus killed three million, largely civilians. REFERENCES
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