Scrub typhus: a follow-up study.

Abstract

Article1 November 1961Scrub Typhus: A Follow-up StudyKENDALL A. ELSOM, M.D., F.A.C.P., GILBERT W. BEEBE, PH.D., JOHN J. SAYEN, M.D., F.A.C.P., HAROLD G. SCHEIE, M.D., GEORGE D. GAMMON, M.D., F.A.C.P., FRANCIS C. WOOD, M.D., F.A.C.P.KENDALL A. ELSOM, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, GILBERT W. BEEBE, PH.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOHN J. SAYEN, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, HAROLD G. SCHEIE, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, GEORGE D. GAMMON, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, FRANCIS C. WOOD, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-55-5-784 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptScrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused byRickettsia tsutsugamushi. It occurs widely throughout the southern Pacific islands and in southern Asia, especially in the southwest Pacific and in southeast Asia. The causative agent is transmitted by the bite of an infected mite. The disease is characterized by an eschar at the site of entrance of the infecting agent, an early generalized skin rash and, if unmodified by therapy, a prolonged high fever and evidence of widespread tissue damage. The most serious manifestations are myocarditis, meningoencephalitis, and pneumonitis. The untreated disease runs an acute and often severe course, with...