TY - JOUR
T1 - Murine typhus in Austin, Texas, USA, 2008
AU - Adjemian, Jennifer
AU - Parks, Sharyn
AU - McElroy, Kristina
AU - Campbell, Jill
AU - Eremeeva, Marina E.
AU - Nicholson, William L.
AU - McQuiston, Jennifer
AU - Taylor, Jeffery
PY - 2010/3
Y1 - 2010/3
N2 - In August 2008, Texas authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated reports of increased numbers of febrile rash illnesses in Austin to confirm the causative agent as Rickettsia typhi, to assess the outbreak magnitude and illness severity, and to identify potential animal reservoirs and peridomestic factors that may have contributed to disease emergence. Thirty-three human cases of confirmed murine typhus were identified. Illness onset was reported from March to October. No patients died, but 23 (70%) were hospitalized. The case-patients clustered geographically in central Austin; 12 (36%) resided in a single ZIP code area. Specimens from wildlife and domestic animals near case-patient homes were assessed; 18% of cats, 44% of dogs, and 71% of opossums had antibodies reactive to R. typhi. No evidence of R. typhi was detected in the whole blood, tissue, or arthropod specimens tested. These findings suggest that an R. typhi cycle involving opossums and domestic animals may be present in Austin.
AB - In August 2008, Texas authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated reports of increased numbers of febrile rash illnesses in Austin to confirm the causative agent as Rickettsia typhi, to assess the outbreak magnitude and illness severity, and to identify potential animal reservoirs and peridomestic factors that may have contributed to disease emergence. Thirty-three human cases of confirmed murine typhus were identified. Illness onset was reported from March to October. No patients died, but 23 (70%) were hospitalized. The case-patients clustered geographically in central Austin; 12 (36%) resided in a single ZIP code area. Specimens from wildlife and domestic animals near case-patient homes were assessed; 18% of cats, 44% of dogs, and 71% of opossums had antibodies reactive to R. typhi. No evidence of R. typhi was detected in the whole blood, tissue, or arthropod specimens tested. These findings suggest that an R. typhi cycle involving opossums and domestic animals may be present in Austin.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77649142555&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3201/eid1603.091028
DO - 10.3201/eid1603.091028
M3 - Article
C2 - 20202415
AN - SCOPUS:77649142555
SN - 1080-6040
VL - 16
SP - 412
EP - 417
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases
IS - 3
ER -