Scrub Typhus: A Common Cause of Fever in Rural India

Endemic in parts of Asia, scrub typhus accounted for almost 30% of hospitalizations for acute fever in this cohort study in southern India.

Scrub typhus, an infection caused by chigger-transmitted bacteria of the species Orientia tsutsugamushi, is common in many parts of Asia. The undifferentiated febrile illness can be severe and complicated by respiratory failure, shock, renal failure, and meningoencephalitis. To assess the incidence and clinical characteristics of scrub typhus, investigators conducted a population-based cohort study encompassing 37 villages in southern India. Participants from 7619 households were evaluated for acute febrile illness; follow-up continued for 2 years.

Key findings include:

IgG seroprevalence was >40% at the beginning of the study.
Incidence of symptomatic infection was 6.6 per 1000 person-years.
Almost 22% of clinical cases required hospitalizatio…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardFXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Fogarty International Center; OneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy (CDDEP)); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

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Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

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Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Scrub Typhus: A Common Cause of Fever in Rural India

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Reviewing Author