To the Editor: During the early 20th century, at the end of World War I, and during World War II, louseborne relapsing fever (LBRF) caused by Borrelia recurrentis was a major public health problem, especially in eastern Europe and northern Africa (1,2).
The body louse can transmit the following life-threatening forms of bacteria to humans: Rickettsia prowazekii, which causes epidemic typhus; Bartonella quintana, which causes trench fever; and Borrelia recurrentis, which causes louseborne relapsing fever (2).