Postinfectious optic neuropathy in endemic typhus.

Abstract

Endemic typhus (Rickettsia typhi), also known as murine typhus, is a flea-borne bacterial disease rarely found in most of the developed world. Known ocular manifestations linked to endemic typhus include mild vitritis, retinal lesions, and retinal vascular leakage. Optic neuropathy, however, is rarely associated with R. typhi, and postinfectious optic neuropathy is even less common. To highlight this unusual complication, we report a patient who developed postinfectious optic neuropathy a few weeks after he was successfully treated for endemic typhus.