Scrub typhus in children at a tertiary hospital in southern India: Clinical profile and complications
Rickettsial infection, or rickettsiosis, is a zoonotic acute febrile illness caused by obligate intracellular, gram-negative bacteria from the genera Rickettsia, Orientia, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia, and Anaplasma. Rickettsiosis is spread by tick or mite bites. Rickettsial infections are reported in various parts of the world. Scrub typhus, which is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is the most commonly reported rickettsial infection on the Indian subcontinent [3–6,10–12]. Rickettsial infections, including scrub typhus, are grossly under-diagnosed in India because of their non-specific clinical presentation, a limited awareness about the disease, a low index of suspicion among clinicians, and a lack of diagnostic facilities.