Cat Flea Typhus

Cat Flea Typhus

Despite the widespread geographic distribution and prevalence of R. felis in cat fleas, there have been only a handful of clinical investigations of undertaken to diagnose cat flea typhus.

Among eight reported cases of human infection with R. felis (five diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] and three by differential antibody titers), all had fever and constitutional symptoms. The majority manifested rash, headache, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement, and variable proportions suffered nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, myalgia and conjunctivitis. The actual spectrum of illness of this infection requires further clinical studies.