Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of the Autumn-winter Type of Scrub Typhus Cases in a Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Introduction: Scrub typhus is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, obligate intracellular gram negative bacteria. It is transmitted by the larval stage of mites (“chiggers”) in the family Trombiculidae. The disease is endemic in many parts of India and continues to be a public health problem. Aim: To study the clinical and demographic characteristics of the scrub typhus patients in a peripheral medical college of West Bengal, India. Materials and Methods: Present study was a retrospective study enrolling 66 confirmed positive cases with Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test during the period from 1st September 2021 to 31st December 2021 at Department of Microbiology, Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital, Rampurhat, West Bengal, India. Results: The clinical and demographic characteristics of the scrub typhus patients’ majority were below age of 15 years i.e. (72.7%), in which females (65.2%) were more compared to male (34%). Most of the study participants were from rural area (76.8%). Majority of study subjects presented with fever (94%), fever with chills (36.4%), cough (24.2%), altered sensorium (25.8%). Maximum cases 42 (63.6%) had occurred in the month of September followed by 11 (16.7%) in October, and November and 02 (3.0%) case reported in December 2021. About 15.3% study population had expired where as 84.7% survived. Conclusion: Current study shows that majority of the cases occurred in the month of September 2021 with female preponderance. Most of the residents were from rural areas with common clinical symptoms with fever with or without chills and breathlessness, headache, altered sensorium and skin lesions

Keywords

• : acute febrile illness
• chiggers
• skin lesions