title: Scrub typhus: pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and prognosis.
abstract: Scrub typhus is a zoonosis caused by the pathogen Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi). The disease has significant prevalence in eastern and Southeast Asia. Usually presenting as an acute febrile illness, the diagnosis is often missed because of similarities with other tropical febrile infections. Many unusual manifestations are present, and these are described in this review, together with an outline of current knowledge of pathophysiology. Awareness of these unusual clinical manifestations will help the clinician to arrive at an early diagnosis, resulting in early administration of appropriate antibiotics. Prognostic indicators for severe disease have not yet been clearly established.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 25 Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka. senaka.ucfm@gmail.com
authors.forename: Senaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajapakse
authors.forename: Chaturaka
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.forename: Deepika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernando
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D012285:Orientia tsutsugamushi / Q000254:growth & development; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012612:Scrub Typhus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy