murine typhus

noun

: a mild disease that is marked especially by fever, headache, and rash, is caused by a rickettsia (Rickettsia typhi synonym R. mooseri), is widespread in nature in rodents, and is transmitted to humans by a flea

Examples of murine typhus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What are the symptoms of murine typhus? Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 6 Nov. 2020 Another big difference between murine typhus and COVID-19 is that murine typhus is completely treatable with antibiotics, such as doxycycline. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 6 Nov. 2020 There are usually annual outbreaks of murine typhus, which affects humans and is caused by fleas, Lame said. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 12 July 2022 Contracting murine typhus at a veterinary office is unusual, Kurian said, adding that Jaimez’s case can’t be definitively linked to her work. Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, 10 Aug. 2019 Some people can recover from murine typhus without treatment or by taking antibiotics at home, as Jaimez’s technician did. Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, 10 Aug. 2019 Keralan sanitation workers were beset with scrub typhus, and murine typhus had infiltrated Los Angeles City Hall. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's magazine, 10 Apr. 2019 Bites don’t directly cause infection, but if flea droppings end up coming into contact with the wounds caused during the parasitic feeding process then rickettsia typhi, the bacteria that causes murine typhus, can end up in the human bloodstream. Paul Sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, 1 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'murine typhus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of murine typhus was in 1933

Dictionary Entries Near murine typhus

Cite this Entry

“Murine typhus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murine%20typhus. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

murine typhus

noun
: a mild febrile disease that is marked by headache and rash, is caused by a bacterium of the genus Rickettsia (R. typhi), is widespread in nature in rodents, and is transmitted to humans by a flea

called also endemic typhus

More from Merriam-Webster on murine typhus

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!