Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Scrub Typhus in Paediatric Patients: A Tertiary Care Hospital Study in Southern India

Abstract

BACKGROUNDScrub typhus is an important cause of acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi with uncertain pathogenesis, but presents as a systemic vasculitis like infection resulting in wide range of clinical manifestations and complications. Though it is endemic in many parts of India, Scrub typhus is grossly underdiagnosed partly because of lack of awareness among clinicians and partly due to poor availability of standardized diagnostic tests in tropical areas. We studied the clinical and epidemiological profile of paediatric scrub typhus patients.