Newly Recognized Pediatric Cases of Typhus Group Rickettsiosis, Houston, Texas, USA

Abstract

An increase in typhus group rickettsiosis and an expanding geographic range occurred in Texas, USA, over a decade. Because this illness commonly affects children, we retrospectively examined medical records from 2008–2016 at a large Houston-area pediatric hospital and identified 36 cases. The earliest known cases were diagnosed in 2011.

Keywords

• typhus group rickettsiosis
• Rickettsia typhi
• murine typhus
• pediatric infectious diseases
• Texas
• rickettsial diseases