Both diseases are infections, but they're caused by different types of bacteria that are spread in different ways. The kind of typhus we tend to ...SkiptomaincontentSkiptocontentHomeCedars-SinaiNewsroomTyphusvsTyphoidFever:What'sthedifference?LosAngeles,09June2019|06:00AMAmerica/Los_AngelesTyphusvsTyphoidFever:What'sthedifference?Amicroscopicviewoftyphoidfeverbacteria.PhotobyGetty.TyphoidFeverTyphusandtyphoidfeverhavebothbeeninthenewsasreportedcasessurfaceinLosAngeles.Althoughthenamesoftheseinfectionsarealmostidentical—andtheirsymptomsareverysimilar—theyarecompletelydifferentdiseases.Toclearupanyconfusion,weaskedJonathanD.Grein,MD,directorofHospitalEpidemiologyatCedars-Sinai,toexplainhowthesediseasescomparetoeachother.Howdoestyphusdifferfromtyphoidfever?Bothdiseasesareinfections,butthey'recausedbydifferenttypesofbacteriathatarespreadindifferentways.ThekindoftyphuswetendtoseeintheU.S.isspreadbyfleasthatcatchthediseasefromratsandpossums.Typhoidfeverisspreadthroughfoodthat'scomeintocontactwithfecalbacteria.Forexample,afoodworkermightusetherestroom,notwashtheirhandsandthencontaminatethefoodthey'rehandling,whichinfectsthepersoneatingit.Whatarethesymptoms?Theclinicalsymptomscanbeverysimilar:fever,muscleaches,headacheand,possibly,arashonthetrunkorback.Howcansomeonetellthedifferencebetweenthetwodiseases?Symptomslikediarrheaorconstipationaremorecommonlyseenwithtyphoidfeverthanwithtyphus.Aphysiciancanmakeadiagnosisusingdifferenttypesofbloodtests.“Contactyourphysicianifyoudevelopanyofthesymptomslikefever,muscleaches,headacheandarashonthetrunkorback.Makesureyoutellyourhealthcareproviderifyou'vebeentravelingrecently.Acompletetravelhistorycouldbecriticaltogettingtherightdiagnosis.JonathanD.Grein,MD,directorofHospitalEpidemiologyatCedars-Sinai„Whyarethenamessosimilar? Peoplethoughttheywerethesamediseaseuntilthe1800s,whenaphysiciandeterminedthattheyweredifferentinfections.Howcommonaretheseinfections?LosAngelesCountyseesanaverageofabout50flea-bornetyphuscaseseachyear,exceptin2018whe