typhus

American  

[tahy-fuhs] / ˈtaɪ fəs /

noun

Pathology.

1. an acute, infectious disease caused by several species of Rickettsia, transmitted by lice and fleas, and characterized by acute prostration, headache, and a peculiar eruption of reddish spots on the body.

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typhus British  

/ ˈtaɪfəs /

noun

1. Also called: typhus fever.  any one of a group of acute infectious rickettsial diseases characterized by high fever, skin rash, and severe headache

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typhus Scientific  

/ tī′fəs /

1. Any of several forms of an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Rickettsia transmitted by fleas, mites, or especially lice, and characterized by severe headache, high fever, and skin rash. Louse-born bacteria that cause typhus are especially virulent and can cause epidemics of the disease, which may be fatal in people with weakened immune systems.

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typhus Cultural  

1. A group of acute and contagious diseases, often fatal, marked by severe headaches and high fever. Typhus is transmitted to humans by fleas, lice, or mites that are infected with the microorganism that causes the disease.

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Other Word Forms

• typhous adjective

Etymology

Origin of typhus

1635–45; < New Latin < Greek tŷphos vapor

Example Sentences

Like Donne, we can mine wisdom from the frailty of our mortal bodies—but be grateful that when the bell tolls for thee, plague, smallpox and typhus won’t be to blame.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the U.S., most cases of flea-borne typhus occur in Texas, California and Hawaii, with an average of about 300 cases each year nationwide, according to the California Department of Public Health.

From Los Angeles Times

Outbreaks of cholera and typhus added to the mortality rate and the decision was taken to use the three-acre site near the Union Workhouse for burials.

From BBC

He first marched to concentration camp Buchenwald and later on to Terezin, where he was liberated on the brink of death from exhaustion and typhus.

From BBC

That doesn’t include the cost of the diseases the animals spread, such as hantavirus, murine typhus and bubonic plague, nor the mental health toll of living among them.

From Los Angeles Times