relapsing fever

noun

Pathology.

1. one of a group of fevers characterized by relapses, occurring in many tropical countries, and caused by several species of spirochetes transmitted by several species of lice and ticks.

relapsing fever

noun

1. Also called: recurrent fever. any of various infectious diseases characterized by recurring fever, caused by the bite of body lice or ticks infected with spirochaetes of the genus Borrelia

Word History and Origins

Origin of relapsing fever¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Their work uncovered traces of two disease-causing pathogens -- those behind paratyphoid fever and relapsing fever -- which match the symptoms described in eyewitness records from that time.

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They don’t just have persistent coughs: Instead their disease is a systemic experience, with brain fog, internal organ pain, bowel problems, tremors, relapsing fevers, more.

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The spirochetes were similar to what he had studied as a graduate student: the cause of relapsing fever.

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If spirochetes caused relapsing fever, perhaps other spirochetes were responsible for the mysterious new Lyme arthritis for which a cause was not known.

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The situation is further complicated because Ixodes ticks transmit a host of other pathogens, such as Rickettsia, other bacteria, viruses and protozoa, leading to diseases including typhus, relapsing fever, babesiosis and meningoencephalitis.

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