Murine typhus in pregnancy: a case report from Cyprus

Murine Typhus Infection in Pregnancy: Case Series and Literature Review

Murine typhus is a flea-borne disease of worldwide distribution with a recent reemergence in the United States of America. There are limited data about the presentation, treatment, and outcomes in the pregnant population. We report on two cases of murine typhus during pregnancy and review the literature to compile previously reported cases. A comprehensive search was performed via the PubMed database for published articles between 1990 and 2020. Seven articles met the criteria of symptomatic pregnant murine typhus infection. A total of 37 patients were identified. Patients frequently presented with a prolonged duration of fevers prior to presentation, headache, and elevated hepatic transaminases. The diagnosis was predominantly based on serology. Treatment varied. Overall, the pregnancy outcome was favorable. Murine typhus can mimic other pregnancy-related pathologies. More exclusive and large-scale studies are needed to learn more of murine typhus during pregnancy.

Successful Detection of Unrecognized Rickettsia typhi in Pregnancy Using Cell-Free Next-Generation Sequencing

Flea-borne (murine) typhus is caused by Rickettsia typhi. Infection in pregnant women can lead to adverse outcomes when diagnosis and treatment is delayed. We describe how next-generation sequencing (NGS) using the Karius® test was used to rapidly diagnose murine typhus in two pregnant women admitted to a large tertiary care center in Houston, Texas, when all initial testing was nondiagnostic.

The Aetiologies and Impact of Fever in Pregnant Inpatients in Vientiane, Laos

INTRODUCTION

Laos has the highest maternal mortality ratio in mainland Southeast Asia and a high incidence of infectious diseases. Globally, malaria has been the pathogen most intensively investigated in relation to impact on pregnancy, but there has been relatively little research on the aetiology and impact of other diseases. We therefore aimed to determine the causes and impact of fever in pregnant women admitted to two central hospitals in Vientiane City, Lao PDR (Laos).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This hospital-based prospective study was conducted in Mahosot Hospital and the Mother and Child Hospital, Vientiane, between 2006 and 2010, with the aim to recruit 250 consenting pregnant women admitted with tympanic temperature ≥37.5°C. Primary outcome was the cause of fever and secondary outcomes were pregnancy outcomes. Specific investigations (culture, antigen, molecular and serological tests) were performed to investigate causes of fever. After discharge, all pregnant women were asked to return for review and convalescence serum on day 10-14 and were monitored until delivery.

PRINCIPLE FINDINGS

250 pregnant women were recruited to this study between February 2006 and November 2010. Fifty percent were pregnant for the first time. Their median (range) gestational age on admission was 24 (4-43) weeks. The median (range) tympanic admission temperature was 38.5°C (37.5-40.5°C). Fifteen percent of patients stated that they had taken antibiotics before admission. Headache, myalgia, back pain and arthralgia were described by >60% of patients and 149 (60%) were given a laboratory diagnosis. Of those with confirmed diagnoses, 132 (53%) had a single disease and 17 (7%) had apparent mixed diseases. Among those who had a single disease, dengue fever was the most common diagnosis, followed by pyelonephritis, scrub typhus, murine typhus and typhoid. Patients were also diagnosed with tuberculosis, appendicitis, Staphylococcus aureus septicemia, leptospirosis, Japanese encephalitis virus infection and Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Severe consequences, including maternal death, miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight and preterm birth, were found among 28 (78%) mothers with dengue fever, rickettsioses and typhoid.

CONCLUSION

Fevers other than malaria, such as dengue, pyelonephritis, rickettsioses and typhoid are common causes of fever during pregnancy in the Asian tropics. Further investigations of their impact in the community on maternal death, fetal loss, vertical transmission, low birth weight and preterm birth are needed.

Arthropod-borne bacterial diseases in pregnancy

Arthropod-borne bacterial diseases affect more than 25,000 Americans every year and thousands more around the world. These infections present a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians because they mimic many other pathologic conditions and are often low on or absent from the differential diagnosis list. Diagnosis is particularly challenging during pregnancy, as these infections may mimic common pregnancy-specific conditions, such as typical and atypical preeclampsia, or symptoms of pregnancy itself. Concerns regarding the safety in pregnancy of some indicated antibiotics add a therapeutic challenge for the prescriber, requiring knowledge of alternative therapeutic options for many arthropod-borne bacterial diseases. Physicians, especially those in endemic areas, must keep this class of infections in mind, particularly when the presentation does not appear classic for more commonly seen conditions. This article discusses presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the most common of these arthropod-borne bacterial diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne relapsing fever, typhus, plague, cat-scratch disease, and Carrión disease.

Pregnancy outcome in relation to treatment of murine typhus and scrub typhus infection: a fever cohort and a case series analysis

Background

There is a paucity of published reports on pregnancy outcome following scrub and murine typhus despite these infections being leading causes of undifferentiated fever in Asia. This study aimed to relate pregnancy outcome with treatment of typhus.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Data were analyzed from: i) pregnant women with a diagnosis of scrub and/or murine typhus from a fever cohort studies; ii) case series of published studies in PubMed using the search terms “scrub typhus” (ST), “murine typhus” (MT), “Orientia tsutsugamushi”, “Rickettsia tsutsugamushi”, “Rickettsia typhi”, “rickettsiae”, “typhus”, or “rickettsiosis”; and “pregnancy”, until February 2014 and iii) an unpublished case series. Fever clearance time (FCT) and pregnancy outcome (miscarriage and delivery) were compared to treatment. Poor neonatal outcome was a composite measure for pregnancies sustained to 28 weeks or more of gestation ending in stillbirth, preterm birth, or delivery of a growth restricted or low birth weight newborn.

Results

There were 26 women in the fever cohort. MT and ST were clinically indistinguishable apart from two ST patients with eschars. FCTs (median [range] hours) were 25 [16–42] for azithromycin (n = 5), 34 [20–53] for antimalarials (n = 5) and 92 [6–260] for other antibiotics/supportive therapy (n = 16). There were 36.4% (8/22) with a poor neonatal outcome.

In 18 years, 97 pregnancies were collated, 82 with known outcomes, including two maternal deaths. Proportions of miscarriage 17.3% (14/81) and poor neonatal outcomes 41.8% (28/67) were high, increasing with longer FCTs (p = 0.050, linear trend). Use of azithromycin was not significantly associated with improved neonatal outcomes (p = 0.610)

Conclusion

The published ST and MT world literature amounts to less than 100 pregnancies due to under recognition and under diagnosis. Evidence supporting the most commonly used treatment, azithromycin, is weak. Collaborative, prospective clinical trials in pregnant women are urgently required to reduce the burden of adverse maternal and newborn outcomes and to determine the safety and efficacy of antimicrobial treatment.

Typhus is an under-recognised and under-studied public health problem in Asia. In rural areas of Southeast Asia murine and scrub typhus are probably the most common treatable cause of fever. The estimated number of scrub typhus cases in Southeast Asia, more than 1 million yearly, results in approximately 50–80,000 deaths per year. Treatment delays due to lack of appropriate diagnostics and lack of awareness lead to a substantial health and economic impact in the one of the world's most densely populated regions. Only 97 cases in pregnancy are available from the published world literature over the past 18 years. Only 82 of these had known outcomes, including two maternal deaths. The proportion of poor neonatal outcome including stillbirth, prematurity and low birth weight was high occurring in more than 40% of pregnancies, and higher when the fever clearance time was longer. While poor neonatal outcomes were observed with all antibiotics prescribed, azithromycin appeared to be associated with shorter fever clearance times but this was not statistically significant. Evidence to support the use of azithromycin is weak. The correct antimicrobial or combination for undifferentiated fever in pregnant women in Southeast Asia is unknown.

Treatment of Rickettsia spp. infections: a review

Human rickettsioses caused by intracellular bacteria of the genus Rickettsia are distributed worldwide and are transmitted by arthropod vectors such as ticks, fleas, mites and lice. They have a wide range of manifestations from benign to life-threatening diseases. Mortality rates of up to 30% have been reported for some rickettsioses. Here, the authors will review in vitro and human studies of the various compounds that have been used for the treatment of Rickettsia spp. infections. The authors will also provide recommendations for the treatment of spotted fever and typhus group rickettsioses.

Arthropod borne disease: the leading cause of fever in pregnancy on the Thai-Burmese border

Background

Fever in pregnancy is dangerous for both mother and foetus. In the 1980's malaria was the leading cause of death in pregnant women in refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border. Artemisinin combination therapy has significantly reduced the incidence of malaria in the population. The remaining causes of fever in pregnancy are not well documented.

Methodology

Pregnant women attending antenatal care, where weekly screening for malaria is routine, were invited to have a comprehensive clinical and laboratory screen if they had fever. Women were admitted to hospital, treated and followed up weekly until delivery. A convalescent serum was collected on day 21. Delivery outcomes were recorded.

Principal Findings

Febrile episodes (n = 438) occurred in 5.0% (409/8,117) of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics from 7-Jan-2004 to 17-May-2006. The main cause was malaria in 55.5% (227/409). A cohort of 203 (49.6% of 409) women had detailed fever investigations and follow up. Arthropod-borne (malaria, rickettsial infections, and dengue) and zoonotic disease (leptospirosis) accounted for nearly half of all febrile illnesses, 47.3% (96/203). Coinfection was observed in 3.9% (8/203) of women, mostly malaria and rickettsia. Pyelonephritis, 19.7% (40/203), was also a common cause of fever. Once malaria, pyelonephritis and acute respiratory illness are excluded by microscopy and/or clinical findings, one-third of the remaining febrile infections will be caused by rickettsia or leptospirosis. Scrub and murine typhus were associated with poor pregnancy outcomes including stillbirth and low birth weight. One woman died (no positive laboratory tests).

Conclusion/Significance

Malaria remains the leading cause of fever in pregnancy on the Thai-Burmese border. Scrub and murine typhus were also important causes of fever associated with poor pregnancy outcomes. Febrile pregnant women on the Thai-Burmese border who do not have malaria, pyelonephritis or respiratory tract infection should be treated with azithromycin, effective for typhus and leptospirosis.

Fever during pregnancy can be harmful for the mother and the infant. In resource poor settings health workers have very few field-based tests that help them identify the cause of infection. This study examined the causes of fever in pregnant women using laboratory support that is typically unavailable to most women living in the tropics. On the Thai-Burmese border there has been a great reduction in malaria in the last 20 years. However malaria remained the leading cause of fever in pregnancy in this study conducted between 2004 and 2006. Urinary tract infection was also a common cause of fever as it is in resource rich countries. Other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes (dengue), ticks (scrub and murine typhus), or rodents (leptospirosis) were common. Scrub and murine typhus were associated with stillbirth and low birth weight. Microscopy remains the most useful tool in the field for the diagnosis of fever in pregnant women. Leptospirosis, dengue and rickettsial infections require improved field-based diagnostic tools to ensure that women receive appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Murine typhus in a pregnant woman

BACKGROUND

Murine typhus is a flea-borne disease caused by Rickettsia typhi. Although uncommon in most of the United States, it is endemic in Southern California. Most cases are unrecognized given its nonspecific viral symptoms and rare complications.

CASE

A pregnant patient presented with complaints of fever and chills. Physical examination was benign. Laboratory abnormalities included elevated transaminases, proteinuria, and thrombocytopenia. The patient gave a history of exposure to cats and opossums in an area endemic for murine typhus. After empiric treatment with azithromycin, her clinical symptoms and laboratory abnormalities promptly improved. Serologies confirmed acute infection with R. typhi.

CONCLUSION

Although the signs and symptoms of murine typhus can mimic other pregnancy-related complications, a high index of suspicion in endemic areas can lead to the correct diagnosis and prompt treatment.

Murine typhus in pregnancy

Murine typhus is widely reported in tropical and subtropical areas, especially coastal and port cities. We describe an interesting case of murine typhus in a 26-year-old woman at 26 weeks of gestation treated with ampicillin with a good response. The serology testing for murine typhus was reported after ampicillin was empirically started, and the patient's symptoms were already resolving. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of murine typhus during pregnancy reported in the United States.