trench fever

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a recurrent fever, often suffered by soldiers in trenches in World War I, caused by a rickettsia transmitted by the body louse.

---

trench fever British  

noun

1. an acute infectious disease characterized by fever and muscular aches and pains, caused by the microorganism Rickettsia quintana and transmitted by the bite of a body louse

---

Etymology

Origin of trench fever

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trench fever

People in Washington state have been infected with Shigella bacteria, which is spread through feces and causes the diarrheal disease shigellosis, as well as Bartonella quintana, which spreads through body lice and causes trench fever.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 15, 2019

Tolkien, served in France for several months in 1916 until contracting trench fever.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 8, 2018

Tolkien biographer John Garth told the BBC that the author conceived the story while recovering from trench fever contracted while serving in World War I.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2017

In 1917, recuperating from trench fever, Tolkien composed a series of tales involving “gnomes,” dwarves and orcs engaged in a great struggle for his imaginary realm.

From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2016

Lice carried an infectious disease called trench fever, characterized by chills and high fever, which put thousands of men out of action.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman