Scrub typhus is an important differential diagnosis in patients who present with acute undifferentiated fever. Since the presentation may be non-specific, with features of organ failure in those with severe infection, early diagnosis , and appropriate management is crucial. Scrub typhus infection is an important etiology of acute undifferentiated fever in southeast Asia and India. It is a zoonotic rickettsial illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi.
The reservoirs for infection are the chiggers (larva of trombiculid mite) and rats and humans are accidentally infected. It is transmitted by trombiculid mites in long grasses and in dirt-floor homes, with infection characterized by a flu-like illness of fever, headache, and myalgia lasting approximately one week. In some, the illness progresses to multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and death. Since the symptoms and signs are nonspecific and…
