Emerg Infect DiseidEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control105115302627712Research ArticleEpidemic typhus imported from Algeria.NiangM.BrouquiP.RaoultD.Hopital Felix Houphoüet Boigny, Marseilles, France.Sep-Oct199955716718

We report epidemic typhus in a French patient returning from Algeria. The diagnosis was confirmed by serologic testing and the isolation of Rickettsia prowazekii in blood. Initially the patient was thought to have typhoid fever. Because body lice are prevalent in industrialized regions, the introduction of typhus to pediculosis-endemic areas poses a serious public health risk.