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Louse-borne relapsing fever

MedGen UID:
508863
•Concept ID:
C0152061
•
Disease or Syndrome
Synonyms: Borrelia recurrentis Infection; Borrelia recurrentis Infections; Fever, Louse-borne Relapsing; Infection, Borrelia recurrentis; Louse borne Relapsing Fever; Louse-borne Relapsing Fever; Louse-borne Relapsing Fevers; Relapsing Fever, Louse-borne
SNOMED CT: Louse-borne relapsing fever (14683004); Relapsing fever, louse-borne (14683004); Relapsing fever caused by Borrelia recurrentis (14683004)
 
Monarch Initiative: MONDO:0001620

Definition

An infection that is caused by certain species of Rickettsia or Borrelia, which are transmitted to humans from infected lice; it is characterized by sudden fever, chills, headaches, myalgia, arthralgia, nausea, and possibly a rash. Symptoms usually persist for two to nine days, then disappear, with recurrence after several weeks if the patient remains untreated. [from NCI]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVLouse-borne relapsing fever

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Louse-borne relapsing fever and its treatment.
Rahlenbeck SI, Gebre-Yohannes A
Trop Geogr Med 1995;47(2):49-52. PMID: 8592762
Antibiotic treatment of louse-borne relapsing fever in Ethiopia: a report of 377 cases.
Perine PL, Teklu B
Am J Trop Med Hyg 1983 Sep;32(5):1096-100. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1983.32.1096. PMID: 6625065
Single-dose doxycycline treatment of louse-borne relapsing fever and epidemic typhus.
Perine PL, Krause DW, Awoke S, McDade JE
Lancet 1974 Sep 28;2(7883):742-4. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90940-4. PMID: 4143011

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Serological evidence of louse-borne relapsing fever in northern Kenya.
Reyer F, Olesiuk M, Röttgerding F, Fingerle V, Adamu A, Waithiru D, Njeru J, Kraiczy P
Travel Med Infect Dis 2024 May-Jun;59:102714. Epub 2024 Mar 13 doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2024.102714. PMID: 38490400
Tick borne relapsing fever - a systematic review and analysis of the literature.
Jakab Á, Kahlig P, Kuenzli E, Neumayr A
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022 Feb;16(2):e0010212. Epub 2022 Feb 16 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010212. PMID: 35171908Free PMC Article
Simultaneous Detection and Differentiation of Clinically Relevant Relapsing Fever Borrelia with Semimultiplex Real-Time PCR.
Dietrich EA, Replogle AJ, Sheldon SW, Petersen JM
J Clin Microbiol 2021 Jun 18;59(7):e0298120. doi: 10.1128/JCM.02981-20. PMID: 33910966Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis infection).
Warrell DA
Epidemiol Infect 2019 Jan;147:e106. doi: 10.1017/S0950268819000116. PMID: 30869050Free PMC Article
Comparison of antibiotic regimens for treating louse-borne relapsing fever: a meta-analysis.
Guerrier G, Doherty T
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2011 Sep;105(9):483-90. Epub 2011 Jul 30 doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2011.04.004. PMID: 21803390

Diagnosis

Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis infection).
Warrell DA
Epidemiol Infect 2019 Jan;147:e106. doi: 10.1017/S0950268819000116. PMID: 30869050Free PMC Article
Louseborne Relapsing Fever among East African Refugees, Italy, 2015.
Lucchini A, Lipani F, Costa C, Scarvaglieri M, Balbiano R, Carosella S, Calcagno A, Audagnotto S, Barbui AM, Brossa S, Ghisetti V, Dal Conte I, Caramello P, Di Perri G
Emerg Infect Dis 2016 Feb;22(2):298-301. doi: 10.3201/eid2202.151768. PMID: 26812354Free PMC Article
Relapsing Fever Borreliae: A Global Review.
Cutler SJ
Clin Lab Med 2015 Dec;35(4):847-65. Epub 2015 Aug 22 doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2015.07.001. PMID: 26593261
Short report: Detection of borrelia (relapsing fever) in rural Ethiopia by means of the quantitative buffy coat technique.
Cobey FC, Goldbarg SH, Levine RA, Patton CL
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2001 Aug;65(2):164-5. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2001.65.164. PMID: 11508395
Louse-borne relapsing fever.
Bryceson AD, Parry EH, Perine PL, Warrell DA, Vukotich D, Leithead CS
Q J Med 1970 Jan;39(153):129-70. PMID: 4913454

Therapy

Tick borne relapsing fever - a systematic review and analysis of the literature.
Jakab Á, Kahlig P, Kuenzli E, Neumayr A
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022 Feb;16(2):e0010212. Epub 2022 Feb 16 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010212. PMID: 35171908Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis infection).
Warrell DA
Epidemiol Infect 2019 Jan;147:e106. doi: 10.1017/S0950268819000116. PMID: 30869050Free PMC Article
Glucose and insulin homeostasis during the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.
Teklu B, Habte-Michael A, White NJ, Warrell DA, Wright DJ, Turner RC
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1985;79(1):74-7. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(85)90241-x. PMID: 3887684
Clinical pathology of the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.
Bryceson AD
J Infect Dis 1976 Jun;133(6):696-704. doi: 10.1093/infdis/133.6.696. PMID: 932495
Louse-borne relapsing fever.
Bryceson AD, Parry EH, Perine PL, Warrell DA, Vukotich D, Leithead CS
Q J Med 1970 Jan;39(153):129-70. PMID: 4913454

Prognosis

Epistaxis and thrombocytopenia as major presentations of louse borne relapsing fever: Hospital-based study.
Abera EG, Tukeni KN, Didu GH, Chala TK, Yilma D, Gudina EK
PLoS One 2022;17(12):e0279721. Epub 2022 Dec 30 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279721. PMID: 36584095Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever-A systematic review and analysis of the literature: Part 1-Epidemiology and diagnostic aspects.
Kahlig P, Paris DH, Neumayr A
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar;15(3):e0008564. Epub 2021 Mar 11 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008564. PMID: 33705384Free PMC Article
Relapsing Fever Borreliae: A Global Review.
Cutler SJ
Clin Lab Med 2015 Dec;35(4):847-65. Epub 2015 Aug 22 doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2015.07.001. PMID: 26593261
New concepts for the old challenge of African relapsing fever borreliosis.
Cutler SJ, Abdissa A, Trape JF
Clin Microbiol Infect 2009 May;15(5):400-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2009.02819.x. PMID: 19489922
Louse-borne relapsing fever.
Bryceson AD, Parry EH, Perine PL, Warrell DA, Vukotich D, Leithead CS
Q J Med 1970 Jan;39(153):129-70. PMID: 4913454

Clinical prediction guides

The First Immunocompetent Mouse Model of Strictly Human Pathogen, Borrelia recurrentis.
Rogovskyy AS, Rogovska YV, Taylor BM, Wiener DJ, Threadgill DW
Infect Immun 2021 Jun 16;89(7):e0004821. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00048-21. PMID: 33875475Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever-A systematic review and analysis of the literature: Part 2-Mortality, Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, impact on pregnancy.
Kahlig P, Neumayr A, Paris DH
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar;15(3):e0008656. Epub 2021 Mar 11 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008656. PMID: 33705387Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever among East African refugees in Europe.
Antinori S, Mediannikov O, Corbellino M, Raoult D
Travel Med Infect Dis 2016 Mar-Apr;14(2):110-4. Epub 2016 Jan 29 doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2016.01.004. PMID: 26872415
Louse-borne relapsing fever profile at Felegehiwot referral hospital, Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia: a retrospective study.
Yimer M, Mulu W, Ayalew W, Abera B
BMC Res Notes 2014 Apr 17;7:250. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-250. PMID: 24742342Free PMC Article
Relapsing fever--a forgotten disease revealed.
Cutler SJ
J Appl Microbiol 2010 Apr;108(4):1115-22. Epub 2009 Oct 20 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04598.x. PMID: 19886891

Recent systematic reviews

Tick borne relapsing fever - a systematic review and analysis of the literature.
Jakab Á, Kahlig P, Kuenzli E, Neumayr A
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022 Feb;16(2):e0010212. Epub 2022 Feb 16 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010212. PMID: 35171908Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever-A systematic review and analysis of the literature: Part 2-Mortality, Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, impact on pregnancy.
Kahlig P, Neumayr A, Paris DH
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar;15(3):e0008656. Epub 2021 Mar 11 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008656. PMID: 33705387Free PMC Article
Louse-borne relapsing fever-A systematic review and analysis of the literature: Part 1-Epidemiology and diagnostic aspects.
Kahlig P, Paris DH, Neumayr A
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar;15(3):e0008564. Epub 2021 Mar 11 doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008564. PMID: 33705384Free PMC Article
Infectious disease profiles of Syrian and Eritrean migrants presenting in Europe: A systematic review.
Isenring E, Fehr J, Gültekin N, Schlagenhauf P
Travel Med Infect Dis 2018 Sep-Oct;25:65-76. Epub 2018 Apr 24 doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2018.04.014. PMID: 29702253
Comparison of antibiotic regimens for treating louse-borne relapsing fever: a meta-analysis.
Guerrier G, Doherty T
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2011 Sep;105(9):483-90. Epub 2011 Jul 30 doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2011.04.004. PMID: 21803390

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