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We have been notified of a case of murine typhus (R. typhi) in a woman who attended a conference of about 360 travel consultants in Bali from approximately 27 November to 1 December 2000. During this period registrants were confined to a 5-star hotel except for an evening function on the other side of the island. On that occasion the woman walked barefoot through some damp grass, but otherwise had no obvious exposure risks. After the Conference she stayed at another 5-star hotel for 4 days before returning to Perth. Her illness onset was 7 December. Exposure in Perth is very unlikely so it seems that her infection was almost certainly acquired in Bali.


This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 24, No 12, December 2000.