What is Typhus?
[[Image:Rickettsia rickettsii.jpg|thumb|220px|right|The bacteria Rickettsiae which causes typhus]] :''Typhus is unrelated to both [[typhoid fever]] and [[paratyphoid fever]]'' '''Typhus''' is the name for a number of [[disease]]s, caused by [[bacteria]] called [[Rickettsiae]]. These bacteria are [[parasite]]s that cannot survive outside their host organism. Depending on the species the host organisms are, [[flea]]s (on [[rat]]s), [[harvest mite]]s (on several [[rodent]]s and humans), or [[louse|lice]] (on humans). It is an [[epidemic]] disease. When the term is commonly used, it usually means ''endemic typhus'', which is spread by lice. The name ''typhus'' comes from [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]], where it means ''smoky'' or ''hazy''. This was the word used to describe the state of mind the patients are in. Typhus can be treated with [[antibiotics]]. {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Diseases caused by bacteria]]