Brill–Zinsser disease is a delayed relapse of
epidemic typhus, caused by ''
Rickettsia prowazekii
''Rickettsia prowazekii'' is a species of gram-negative, alphaproteobacteria, obligate intracellular parasitic, aerobic bacillus bacteria that is the etiologic agent of epidemic typhus, transmitted in the feces of lice. In North America, the ...
''. After a patient contracts epidemic typhus from the fecal matter of an infected
louse
Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result o ...
(''
Pediculus humanus
''Pediculus humanus'' is a species of louse that infects humans. It comprises two subspecies:
*''Pediculus humanus humanus'' Linnaeus, 1758 – body louse
*''Pediculus humanus capitis'' De Geer, 1767 – head louse
The head louse (''Pediculu ...
''), the
rickettsia
''Rickettsia'' is a genus of nonmotile, gram-negative, nonspore-forming, highly pleomorphic bacteria that may occur in the forms of cocci (0.1 μm in diameter), bacilli (1–4 μm long), or threads (up to about 10 μm long). The term "rickett ...
can remain
latent
Latency or latent may refer to:
Science and technology
* Latent heat, energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system, during a constant-temperature process
* Latent variable, a variable that is not directly observed but inferred ...
and reactivate months or years later, with symptoms similar to or even identical to the original attack of typhus, including a
maculopapular
A maculopapular rash is a type of rash characterized by a flat, red area on the skin that is covered with small confluent bumps. It may only appear red in lighter-skinned people. The term "maculopapular" is a compound: ''macules'' are small, flat ...
rash
A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture.
A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cr ...
.
At such times, typhus can be transmitted to other individuals through fecal matter of the louse vector, and generate a new
epidemic
An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time.
Epidemics ...
of the disease.
See also
*
Nathan Edwin Brill
Nathan Edwin Brill (January 3, 1860Some sources give January 13.– December 13, 1925) was an American physician who, while at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, discovered Brill-Zinsser disease (or, often, simply Brill's disease), a late re ...
*
Hans Zinsser
Hans Zinsser (November 17, 1878 – September 4, 1940) was an American physician, bacteriologist, and prolific author.
The author of over 200 books and medical articles, he was also a published poet. Some of his verses were published in '' ...
*
Tick-borne lymphadenopathy
Tick-borne lymphadenopathy is infectious disease, an uncommon tick-borne rickettsiosis caused by ''Rickettsia slovaca''. It is transmitted exclusively by the ''Dermacentor marginatus'' tick. It is endemic to parts of east and south Europe.
Infec ...
*
List of cutaneous conditions
Many skin conditions affect the human integumentary system—the organ system covering the entire surface of the body and composed of skin, hair, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this system is as a barrier against t ...
References
External links
Bacterium-related cutaneous conditions
Epidemic typhus
{{Dermatology-stub