Scientists Decipher Genetic Material of Typhus Fever Germ

Scientists have deciphered all the genetic material of the germ that causes typhus fever. Ironically, the finding gives new evidence that the lethal microbe shares an evolutionary history with an important component of healthy cells.

The work defined the 1.1 million building blocks that make up the genetic code for Rickettsia prowazekii. The germ is spread by lice and causes epidemics of typhus fever, which differs from typhoid fever, and is blamed for millions of deaths after each world war.

The disease is still widespread in some areas of Africa, Asia and Central and South America. It is treatable with antibiotics.

The work is reported in the Nov. 12 issue of the journal Nature by scientists at the University of Uppsala in Sweden and the University of South Alabama in Mobile.