trench fever

trench fever A disease borne by body lice that was first recognized in the trenches of World War I, when it is estimated to have affected more than 1 million people. Trench fever is still seen endemically in Mexico, Africa, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. Urban trench fever occurs among homeless people and street alcoholics, and outbreaks have been documented in US cities. The cause of trench fever is Bartonella quintana (previously called Rochalimaea quintana), an unusual type of bacteria that multiply in the gut of the body louse. Transmission to people occurs when infected louse feces are rubbed into abraded (scuffed) skin or into the whites of the eyes. The disease is classically a 5day fever, characterized by the sudden onset of high fever, severe headache, back pain and leg pain, and a fleeting rash. Recovery takes a month or more, and relapses are common. Also known as Wolhynia fever, shinbone fever, quintan fever, five-day fever, Meuse fever, His disease, His-Werner disease, and Werner-His disease. See also Bartonella quintana; rickettsial disease.