Scrub Typhus: Seven-Year Experience and Literature Review

Scrub typhus, an emerging rickettsial disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a clinically important endemic disease on Taiwan.

From January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2013, 156 patients diagnosed with scrub typhus were admitted to Taitung MacKay Memorial Hospital. Demographic data, clinical features, laboratory results, and outcomes of patients were retrospectively analyzed.

Among 156 cases, 150 survived (96%) and six died (4%). There were 111 males (71%) and 45 females (29%) with a mean age of 47.8 years. The most common clinical features were fever (100%), general malaise (77%), chill (74%), headache (59%), and eschar (55%). No seasonal pattern was observed, with peaks in November and January. The average time to defervescence after appropriate antibiotics for the 150 surviving patients was 2.45 days. The significant risk factors were a delay of initial appropriate antibiotics use within 24 hrs, increased C-reactive protein (CRP), and liver cirrhosis.

Scrub typhus, a growing and emerging disease, is considered in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin, and its diagnosis may be missed if it is not considered owing to its nonspecific clinical presentation. It is important to have a high index of suspicion and to increase awareness in endemic areas. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment with appropriate antibiotics are vital.