Mosquitoes are often considered the most dangerous “animal” on Earth. They carry and transmit a multitude of horrible diseases. Malaria, EEE, and West Nile Virus are just a few of them. Rivaling them in terms of disease-ridden pests is the flea. The little bugs are well-known for spreading plague, but they also spread murine typhus, and it’s making a comeback thanks to cats.

What is Typhus?

There are different forms of typhus, with murine typhus being transmitted by fleas. It can be fatal, and even milder cases can still result in high fevers and delirium. It’s currently doing some damage to the population of Galveston and other areas of Texas. The culprit? The fleas, of course. But the transmission vector? Cats.

Cases have increased in the last 15 years. From 2008 to 2023, more than 6,700 cases of this typhus strain were reported in Texas. So, Texas A&M University started testing cats. Out of 167 of them, six tested positive for the bacterial typhus strain. Considering murine typhus was thought to be virtually wiped out, this number is actually quite high. According to Dr. Sarah Hamer, “There are only a few places in the U.S. where murine typhus is recognized to be transmitted with some regularity and, unfortunately, that includes South Texas.”

Prevention is Key

What can people do to prevent infection? Well, for starters, they can follow the age-old advice of Bob Barker. As he said at the end of each episode of The Price is Right, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” The population of feral cats, partially caused by abandoned pets, is spreading more vectors for fleas. Standard flea control procedures should also be followed. Flea collars and all that jazz can only help stop the spread.

The world is in enough chaos as is. The last thing we need is typhus outbreaks. Nature already has enough things out there wanting to kill us. Remember those murder hornets?