Frequency of Scrub Typhus in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Northern India in Sub-Himalayan Region

Abstract

Background and Objective: Scrub typhus is an endemic zoonotic infectious disease caused by the rickettsial bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi, an obligate intracellular microbe. It is a serious public health problem in the Asia-Pacic region. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of scrub typhus in DRPGMC, a tertiary care hospital in Northern India. Methodolgy: A total of 2187 serum samples of 1022 males (46.73%) and 1165 females (53.27%) with suspected scrub typhus were received in the Department of Microbiology, DRPGMC over a period of 2 years from November 2019 to October 2021. Scrub typhus was tested by IgM ELISA (Inbios International, USA). Scrub typhus was diagnosed in 322 (14.72%) patients and the majority of them Results: were observed from August to November. Serum reactive test in females (61.80%) were in predominance as compared to serum reactive test in males (38.20%) with a ratio of 1.6:1. Majority of the samples (71.05%) were from age group 19 years to 60 years and least (4.12%) from age group 13 years to 18 years. Conclusion: The number of cases of Scrub typhus disease is increasing in North India and it is a matter of great concern. Health education campaigns focusing on the awareness of disease, quick diagnosis and prompt management is required to minimize morbidity and mortality from the disease.