Rickettsia typhi infection presenting as severe ARDS

Murine typhus, also known as endemic typhus, is a disease resulting from an infection caused by the gram-negative bacillus Rickettsia typhi. Murine typhus is identified worldwide, predominantly in tropical and subtropical geographic locations. Transmission occurs through direct inoculation by an arthropod vector, most commonly the rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. rickettsial infections are notorious for disseminated infections throughout the endothelial cells. The increase in permeability is an immediate consequence and has the potential of leading to non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, otherwise known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Clinical manifestations are non-specific and initially mimic typical viral etiologies, obscuring early diagnosis. As a result, clinicians often do not include rickettsial infections in their differential diagnoses. Definitive diagnosis is based on clinical recognition, epidemiologic awareness, and serological testing. Here we present a confirmed case of murine typhus in a young non-immunocompromised patient who developed ARDS one week from the initial onset of symptoms.