The experimental demonstration of the identity of so-called Brill's disease to typhus fever

Abstract

The rhesus monkey is susceptible to infection by inoculation with the blood from a case of “Brill's disease.” One attack of the disease in the monkey induces a definite immunity to a subsequent infection with virulent blood of the same strain. Monkeys recovered from an infection with “Brill's disease” have been found to be immune to a subsequent infection with virulent blood from a case of Mexican typhus fever. Monkeys recovered from an infection with Mexican typhus fever have been found to be immune to a subsequent infection with “Brill's disease.”

From the above results we conclude that the disease described by Brill is identical with the typhus fever of Mexico, and inasmuch as the New York strain is undoubtedly of European origin, we may also conclude that the typhus of Europe and the tabardillo of Mexico are identical. If this conclusion is correct, typhus fever has been present in New York City for a number of years and, according to verbal reports made to us, has occurred in other large cities of the United States. These results make the clinical recognition and study of typhus fever of increased importance and necessitate the exercise of appropriate prophylactic measures.

It is not intended to exaggerate the menace of this disease to the public health. Nevertheless, although the disease in New York City has apparently been mild and has shown little tendency to spread, it is apparently on the increase there and the possibility should be borne in mind that it may acquire virulence and epidemic prevalence.