THENATIONALPULSE (Pulse Wires) - Fleas Carry Deadly, Previously Eradicated Disease Back to U.S.
A flea-borne disease once thought eradicated in the U.S. is resurging in Texas, with researchers identifying domestic cats and their fleas as a key pathway for the bacterium behind murine typhus to enter households.
A flea-borne disease once thought eradicated is resurging in Texas, with researchers identifying domestic cats and their fleas as a key pathway for the bacterium behind murine typhus to enter households. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Flea-borne murine typhus, caused by the bacterium Rickettsia typhi, is resurging in parts of Texas , with researchers identifying domestic cats and their fleas as a significant vector for the disease entering households. The illness, once nearly eradicated in the U.S., has led to hundreds of hospitalizations in areas like Galveston and is now being increasingly detected in South Texas. DETAIL: The illness spreads to humans through infected flea feces rather than person-to-person contact and typically causes…Open