Typhus Fevers | Typhus Fevers

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Typhus fevers are a group of diseases caused by bacteria that are spread to humans by fleas, lice, and chiggers. Typhus fevers include scrub typhus, murine typhus, and epidemic typhus. Chiggers spread scrub typhus, fleas spread murine typhus, and body lice spread epidemic typhus. The most common symptoms are fever, headaches, and sometimes rash.

Epidemic Typhus

Disease spread by body lice, was responsible for millions of deaths in previous centuries, now considered rare.

Scrub Typhus

Bacterial disease spread by chiggers in Southeast Asia.

For Healthcare Providers

Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of typhus fevers.

Flea-borne (murine) Typhus

Flea-borne bacterial disease found in tropical climates around the world, also reported in parts of U.S.

For Public Health Officials

Guidelines for reporting and how to submit samples for testing.

Page last reviewed: November 13, 2020

Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD)