typhus

[ tahy-fuhs ]

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.

typhus

/ ˈtaɪfəs /

noun

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

typhus

/ 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.

typhus

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈtyphous, adjective

Other Words From

• typhous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of typhus¹

1635–45; < New Latin < Greek tŷphos vapor

Word History and Origins

Origin of typhus¹

C18: from New Latin tӯphus, from Greek tuphos fever; related to tuphein to smoke

Example Sentences

They can also help spread murine typhus and food-borne germs like salmonella.

From Seattle Times

Poorly dressed and malnourished, they faced lethal diseases like dysentery, smallpox, and typhus—epidemics typical in army camps where basic sanitation was poor and drinking water carried deadly germs.

From Literature

Flea-borne typhus was tied to three deaths in Los Angeles County last year amid a rise in reported cases of the illness, according to a report released Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times

From its base in Japanese-controlled Harbin in China, Unit 731 and related units injected war prisoners with typhus, cholera and other diseases as research into germ warfare, according to historians and former unit members.

From Seattle Times

Before the squadron even got across the Atlantic Ocean, though, typhus hit.

From Washington Post