Acute Communicable Disease Control

County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Acute Communicable Disease Control
313 N. Figueroa Street, #212
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 240-7941
Fax: (213) 482-4856
Email:acdc2@ph.lacounty.gov

Have questions about things like where to go for vaccinations or other health care services?

Call 2-1-1.

Note: PDF documents on this site were created using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or later. If you are using an earlier version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (4.x or less), document functionality may be reduced.

Flea-borne (Endemic) Typhus

Typhus refers to a group of infectious diseases that are caused by rickettsial organisms and result in an acute febrile illness; arthropod vectors transmit the etiologic agents to humans. The principle diseases of this group are epidemic (or louse-borne) typhus, flea-borne (or endemic) typhus, and scrub typhus. Flea-borne typhus (sometimes called murine typhus)is the only one of these diseases naturally occurring in LAC and is caused by two bacteria Rickettsia typhi and R. felis; both are transmitted through the bite or contact with feces of an infected flea. Reservoir animals are predominantly feral cats and opossums. In LAC, most reported cases of typhus occur in residents of the foothills of central LAC. However, the distribution has become widespread in recent years (see below links to maps). Symptoms include fever, severe headache, chills, and myalgia. A fine, macular rash may appear three to five days after onset. Occasionally, complications such as pneumonia or hepatitis may occur. Fatalities are uncommon, occurring in less than 1% of cases. The disease is typically mild in young children. Typhus infection is not vaccine preventable, but can be treated with antibiotics.

Special Studies Report (2015)

Multi-Agency Response to a Flea-Borne Typhus Outbreak Associated with a Mobile Home Community

How do you get it?

People get it after being exposed to fleas that are infected with a rickettsial organism. The flea lives on small mammals that are infected with the organism. When the flea bites the animal it swallows the bacteria. The next time it bites a person, it will infect the person with the bacteria.

How long does it take to get flea-borne typhus after I've been exposed to an infected flea?

It takes 1 to 2 weeks to show symptoms, usually about 12 days. Sometimes people don’t remember that they’ve been exposed to fleas.

How can I keep from getting flea-borne typhus?

Make sure your cats and dogs are free of fleas. Do not leave food out for wild (feral) cats to eat. They carry fleas. Also, food left out can attract other wild animals such as opossums and rats that carry fleas. Avoid any interaction with wild cats. Remember, you don’t need to touch the cat to be exposed to a flea. They can jump from the cat to you.

• Flea-borne Typhus Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)  English  Spanish 
• Flea-borne Typhus: Protect Yourself, Protect Your Neighbors  English  Spanish 
• Flea-borne Typhus: Tips to keep your family and pets healthy  English  Spanish 
• Typhus Cases by Year, Los Angeles County 2001-2014
• Los Angeles County: Annual Morbidity Reports (2001-2016) 
• LAC: Reported Cases of Selected Diseases (2011-2016) 
• LAC: Reported Cases of Selected Diseases (2005-2010) 
• LAC: Reported Cases of Selected Diseases (1999-2004) 
• ACDC: A Manual of Department Rules, Regulations and Control Procedures (B73) (November 2014) 
• Typhus Cases, LAC Map: 2014 
• Typhus Cases, LAC Map: 2000-11 
• Typhus and Other Non-Spotted Fever Rickettsioses Case Report: CDPH 8580 (Revised 8/11)
 
• LA County Epidemiological Reporting Forms (web page) 
• Murine Typhus: An Unrecognized Suburban Vectorborne Disease, Civen, Rachel, and Ngo, Van; Clinical Infections Diseases 2008;46:913-8 
• A Suburban Neighborhood Outbreak of Murine Typhus - South Pasadena, May 2005 (2005 Special Study) 
• CDPH: Flea-borne Typhus
• Click here for the Flea-borne Typhus Brochure