Epidemic Typhus Imported from Algeria

Abstract

Epidemic typhus, caused by Rickettsia prowazekii, is transmitted in the feces of the infected body louse. Body lice live in clothing and are easily controlled by good personal hygiene. Louse-infested populations are primarily those who live in extreme poverty. Typhus has been associated with war, famine, refugee camps, cold weather, and conditions that lead to domestic crowding and reduced personal hygiene, like those found in Algeria because of the ongoing civil war (1,2).