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A case of murine typhus in Queensland
1Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, Vic.
Objective:
To present a case of murine (endemic) typhus, the first to be reported within the last 30 years in Australia.
Clinical Features:
A 17-year-old pregnant woman presented with a viral-like illness and later developed a spotted rash, fever and headache. INVESTIGATION AND OUTCOME: Sera taken on Day 7 and Day 30 of the illness showed seroconversion to Proteus OX19 (Weil-Felix) and to Rickettsia typhi (by immunofluorescence), indicating recent infection with Rickettsia of the typhus group. Her illness was clinically compatible with murine typhus. She responded well to erythromycin and delivered a normal infant at term.
Conclusion:
Infection with Rickettsia typhi (murine typhus) still occurs in Australia. It can be diagnosed by means of specific serological tests for rickettsial disease, which are superior to the non-specific Weil-Felix test.