Scrub typhus-resurgence of a forgotten killer

Scrub-typhus.

Scrub typhus is an important emerging tropical infection that can have severe manifestations in children leading to intensive care admission. It is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a gram negative bacterium transmitted to humans by the bite of larval trombiculid mites. The organism is endemic in south-east Asia and the disease is reported from virtually all parts of India. The hallmark of this...

A Case of Scrub Typhus

Acute hearing loss due to scrub typhus: a forgotten complication of a reemerging disease.

We describe 6 patients with scrub typhus who presented with acute hearing loss, a forgotten complication of this reemerging disease. They were admitted with fever of 10-14 days' duration and had clinical evidence of deafness and pneumonitis. Five patients had eschars, which prompted the diagnosis of typhus fever and led to early institution of treatment. Deafness has been described as a clue to...

Diagnosis of Scrub Typhus

Scrub typhus is transmitted by trombiculid mites and is endemic to East and Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. The clinical syndrome classically consists of a fever, rash, and eschar, but scrub typhus also commonly presents as an undifferentiated fever that requires laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis, usually by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) assay. We discuss the limitations of ...

Seroprevalence of Scrub Typhus

Thailand is a developing country that is still grappling with infectious diseases. Although modern medical and laboratory technology have been applied in the investigation and treatment of in­ fectious diseases, they are still prevalent. The varied ecology and topography of Thailand are appro­ priate for infective organisms, but there is a lack of medical apparatus and health personnel for cont...