Indian Tick Typhus – An Uncommon Cause of Hepatitis: A Case Report

Abstract

Although viruses remain the most common cause of hepatitis, other causes like rickettsial hepatitis are also well known. However, this aetiology has not been well recognized and it has been rarely reported in the Indian literature. Here, we are discussing a case of acute hepatitis, its clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment, which was later found to be caused by Indian tick typhus (a spotted fever group rickettsia), which was diagnosed on the basis of serology and its clinical response to doxycycline. Further literature review has been done, to discuss various clinical presentations and prevalence of rickettsial infection in this part of the world.

Keywords

• hepatitis
• indian tick typhus
• weil-felix test