Typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii)

Clinical criteria
Any person with an acute febrile illness usually associated with a rash

Laboratory criteria

• Laboratory criteria for case confirmation
  At least one of the following four:
  • A fourfold or greater rise in rickettsial antibodies from paired sera
  • A diagnostic rickettsial antibody titre from a single serum specimen
  • Direct detection of rickettsia in a tissue sample, using immunohistochemistry or similar technique
  • Detection of rickettsia-specific nucleic acids in blood or other tissue by PCR
• Laboratory criteria for a probable case
  • Positive Weil-Felix agglutination test

Epidemiological criteria
NA

Case classification
A. Possible case
NA
B. Probable case
Any person meeting the clinical criteria and the laboratory criteria for a probable case
C. Confirmed case
Any person meeting the clinical and the laboratory criteria for case confirmation

Current as of: 24 January 2019