By: Aanya
According to a study conducted by researchers from the Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, released on Thursday. rural communities face a high risk of potentially life-threatening scrub typhus infections. Scrub typhus is a severe infection caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected larval mites, also known as chiggers.
While most infections were asymptomatic, between 8 percent and 15 percent of those infected developed a fever that often required hospitalization and intensive care due to severe illness.
The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Researchers found a high incidence of scrub typhus over a two-year period, with nearly 10 percent of the population infected annually.
The study, which examined 32,000 people in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, identified scrub typhus as a leading yet under-recognized cause of fever-related hospitalizations.
Lead author Carol Devamani, MD, from CMC Vellore’s Department of Community Medicine said, “after COVID-19, scrub typhus was the most significant cause of fever in our study, accounting for nearly 30 percent of fever-related hospitalizations."
Symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and a rash, typically appearing around 10 days after infection. A blackened sore often develops at the site of the chigger bite, aiding in diagnosis.
If left untreated, scrub typhus can lead to severe complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, meningitis, and kidney failure, which can be fatal.