Brill–Zinsser disease
epidemic typhus that is a mild form of the disease, which recurs in someone after a long period of latency due to immunosuppression, malnutrition or other illnesses
Brill–Zinsser disease is a delayed relapse of epidemic typhus, caused by Rickettsia prowazekii. After a patient contracts epidemic typhus from the fecal matter of an infected louse (Pediculus humanus), the rickettsia can remain latent and reactivate months or years later, with symptoms similar to or even identical to the original attack of typhus, including a maculopapular rash.
The public source identifies “Brill–Zinsser disease” as epidemic typhus that is a mild form of the disease, which recurs in someone after a long period of latency due to immunosuppression, malnutrition or other illnesses. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Brill, Zinsser and disease.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q253332.
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This entry incorporates text from “Brill–Zinsser disease” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.