An outbreak of murine typhus affected more than 50 people between April and December 2008 in the city of Austin, Travis County, in the southern state of Texas, according to a report published this week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

 

“This cluster of R. typhi cases in Austin during 2008 might represent the emergence of murine typhus in a new area,” writes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Murine typhus might now be established in the Austin and Travis County area and should be considered an ongoing public health threat.”

 

Murine typhus, a mild form of typhoid fever, is a rickettsial disease spread by fleas. People who become infected with the Rickettsia typhi pathogen can fall ill with symptoms including fever, headache, chills, vomiting, and nausea.

 

Over the past 10 years, just two cases of the disease have been reported in the central region of Texas, which includes Austin city. But the disease is endemic in southern parts of the state.

 

Health officials from Austin and Travis County reported a group of 14 cases of the disease to state authorities in August 2008. An investigation eventually identified 33 confirmed and 20 suspected cases of the disease. More than 70% of those known to be infected with the bug needed hospital treatment, with some requiring intensive care, according to the report.

 

Some of those affected were not treated with antibiotics, according to the report. In response to the outbreak, Austin city health officials posted alerts on the health department website to increase public awareness of the disease.

 

With 29 new cases of the disease reported in 2009, the CDC says central Texas will remain at risk of murine typhus. But it notes a drop in the hospitalisation rate seen during the 2009 outbreak compared to that seen in 2008, probably owing to better disease awareness among medics and more appropriate treatment.

 

“These findings underscore the need to increase awareness of murine typhus… before and throughout the peak vector season of March–November,” writes the CDC.